Bentley EXP15 concept does provides view of brand’s first full electric car

The five-meter plus audacious three-seater coupé won't go into production but it does provide strong clues about the Urban Luxury SUV, Bentley's first fully electric car, which is due to be unveiled in 2026 

The concept EXP 15 represents Bentley’s design vision for the future and offers glimpse of Bentley’s first fully-electric car: the Urban Luxury Suv, due to be unveiled in 2026. The extravagant exterior design, with its upright grille, “endless” bonnet and rearward cabin, was influenced by the Bentley Speed Six Gurney Nutting Sportsman coupé from 1930. Known as the “Blue Train”, the car was named for a race former Bentley chairman and racing driver Woolf Barnato had with a train across France, from Cannes to Calais. He arrived in London before the train had reached its destination. 

Without an engine to keep cool, EV don’t need a massive grille, but grilles have always been a key part of the brand’s design language, giving its cars such enormous presence. The new interpretation for the EXP 15 is a shuttered, backlit panel, with a complex geometric pattern and central spine that’s also illuminated. The iconic Bentley Wings and Flying B mascot that sit on the nose of the car have also been reimagined, with a sharper, more contemporary look for the EXP 15, and the road-going EV to come. 

This is only the fifth time the Bentley emblem has been altered in its 106-year history, and is by far the most significant transformation, serving as a clear signal of the start of a new era. The concept's design is also expected to influence the replacement for the Bentley Mulsanne luxury saloon that's due in 2030.  The interior layout only includes three seats. The driver’s seat is in the “conventional” place and there’s a passenger seat behind it. However the passenger-side chair has nothing in front of it, giving the lucky occupant a massive amount of legroom. The package is unusual for featuring three seats and three doors, rather than four or five of both. 

One door on the driver’s side opens to the driver’s seat plus a cocooning rear seat behind, while twin coach doors and part of the panoramic roof open upwards on the passenger side to allow smoother entry and exit via a more luxurious and flexible passenger-side seat that can swivel 45 degrees outwards. That passenger seat can also be moved to different positions according to customer mood or need: upfront alongside the driver in “Co-pilot” mode, slid back to the rear-seat in “Standard” setting or reclined for “Relax” mode. 

In the latter two configurations massive legroom is created and the concept’s Concertina Floor Storage system allows footwell footrests to fold downward into the floor to create a shallow space for a pet or personal hand luggage to be strapped in – and crucially both accessible without needing to stop and open the boot. Even the boot holds more potential function than as mere luggage carrier. Open the large rear hatch and two small seats can deploy alongside an atmospheric physical lamp and fridge stocked with cold drinks, which can slide back from the rear seats, to truly make luxury tailgate parties a pleasurable and practical reality. 

The cabin will continue to blend physical and digital interfaces in what it calls “Magical Fusion” Hence the knurled dials and start button on the centre console, while behind the glass dashboard is the “Mechanical Marvel” – a clock-like device that shows the direction of travel, state of charge and other information, while also serving as a visual centrepiece for the cabin. Finally, instead of a rotating dashboard like you’ll find in the latest Flying Spur or Continental GT, the section of the EXP 15’s dashboard responsible for the infotainment can simply be switched off to reveal the veneered wood surface beneath.