2010 Bentley Gtc Speed. Granite Over Portland. Loaded With Options. 37k Miles on 2040-cars

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Bentley planning to rejuvenate and modernize its design language

The sold-out Bacalar moves Bentley's design language in a sharper, bolder direction. It's limited to 12 units, so the odds of seeing one in the wild are low, but its head-turning lines will influence the company's future models. "It was appreciated very well by its target audience, but also by our traditional customers. I was surprised and happy to get positive remarks. I feel encouraged to really push the subject of rejuvenating and modernizing Bentley's design language," Stefan Sielaff, Bentley's lead designer, told Autoblog. He added his team will accelerate this process in the coming years. "We will take steps forward," he affirmed. Bentley remains a relatively small company, and it recently overhauled a large chunk of its range by releasing the new Continental variants, so don't expect to discover its next design language in the coming months. It's more of a long-term goal for the firm. Luckily, it has plenty of projects in the pipeline. Company boss Adrian Hallmark strongly hinted at "an even more luxurious and even bigger" version of the Bentayga, likely to succeed the Mulsanne (pictured) at the top of the line-up, and he suggested Bentley is tentatively planning to release its first electric model -- possibly with a cutting-edge solid-state battery pack -- about halfway through the 2020s. Speaking of, electrification technology will give stylists the opportunity to explore new design avenues. "I think that, when we talk about an electric car, and only from the design point of view, we have to work on efficiency first of all. This has a certain impact on our design language. It means we need to focus more on aerodynamics and on lightweight design, and this has a direct impact on the styling. I personally think it is a big chance for us; it will help us push the design language forward," he concluded.

2017 North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year entries announced

Over 40 vehicles will compete for the 2017 North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year awards. If that name looks a little strange, it's because the competition added a third category. In years past, pickup trucks, crossovers, SUVs, commercial vans, and minivans competed for the same award. That's why there were occasionally weird comparisons, like last year's competition between the Volvo XC90 and Nissan Titan XD. The new format separates pickups and commercial vans into the truck contest and CUVs, SUVs, and minivans into the utility competition. A complete list of eligible vehicles is below, but here are a few highlights. For one, the entire list of entries has a luxurious lean. Of the 43 vehicles, nearly half of them are from premium brands. There are two eligible Bentleys – the Bentayga and Mulsanne – the Rolls-Royce Dawn, Jaguar F-Pace, Audi Q7, and the Mercedes-Benz GLS-, E-, and S-Class Maybach. The performance ranks are lofty, too, with the Audi R8, Acura NSX, Alfa Romeo Giulia, Mercedes SL- and SLC-Class, Porsche 718, and F-150 Raptor. The mainstream entries are just as comprehensive. From the Chrysler Pacifica to the Chevrolet Cruze to the Fiat 124 Spider to the Mitsubishi Mirage, NACTOY has covered an enormous price range with this year's contestants. Of course, these are only the eligible vehicles. They'll need to run through three rounds of judging, starting in September at NACTOY's traditional Hell, MI, test drive. The Canadian and American journalists involved in the judging will announce this year's nine finalists – three in each category – on December 6. Cars Acura NSX Alfa Romeo Giulia Audi A4 Audi R8 Bentley Mulsanne Buick Cascada Buick LaCrosse Cadillac CT6 Chevrolet Bolt Chevrolet Cruze Fiat 124 Genesis G90 Hyundai Elantra Infiniti Q60 Jaguar XE Kia Cadenza Lincoln Continental Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan Mercedes-Benz S550 Maybach Mercedes-Benz SL-Class Mercedes-Benz SLC-Class Mini Clubman Mitsubishi Mirage/G4 Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman Rolls-Royce Dawn Toyota Prius Prime Volvo S90 SUVs Audi Q7 Bentley Bentayga Buick Envision Cadillac XT5 Chrysler Pacifica GMC Acadia Infiniti QX30 Kia Sportage Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class Jaguar F-Pace Mazda CX-9 Nissan Armada Trucks Ford F-Series Super Duty pickups Ford F-150 Raptor Honda Ridgeline Nissan Titan half-ton Related Video: Featured Gallery Bentley Bentayga View 23 Photos News Source: Automotive News - sub.

Bentley SUV given green light by VW board

The "will they, won't they" saga over Bentley's SUV plans appears to finally be over. They will. That's according to the German business newspaper Handelsblatt, which is reporting that the controversial SUV will be built after receiving the go-ahead from Volkswagen's board.
Known internally as "Falcon," the still-unnamed Bentley SUV will be based on the EXP 9 Concept that received wildly mixed reviews at its 2012 Geneva Motor Show unveiling. Since the EXP 9's unveiling, there have been a steady stream of leaks and rumors suggesting that the bold-faced vehicle will get a redesign prior to going into production, but it remains unclear how different the final vehicle will look.
According to Automotive News, Bentley is itself stopping short of confirming the green-light report, though it does admit that the SUV's production outlook appears "very positive." Production will likely take place in Slovakia at a plant owned by parent Volkswagen.