On sale in 2016

Dutch media is reporting Bentley has trademarked the "Bentayga" moniker which could be used for their upcoming crossover.

Like it or not, Bentley's first ever crossover is confirmed for a 2016 market launch and chances are it will be commercialized with the "Bentayga" designation. The name is derived from a rock formation found in Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands (Canaries), a Spanish archipelago located off the coast of Morocco.

Previewed by the criticized EXP 9 F concept, the model will be according to Bentley the "most luxurious and powerful SUV on the market" and when configured with the W12 engine it will be the "fastest SUV on sale." It will be followed in 2017 by a plug-in hybrid version which they expect to be the best-selling version as almost 30 percent of potential buyers have expressed their desire to go for the hybrid.

The high-riding Bentley will be based on the MLB Evo platform and besides the 6.0-liter W12 and plug-in hybrid setup (offering 30 miles electric range) it will likely be offered with a twin-turbo V8 4.0-liter along with a 4.2-liter V8 TDI sourced from Audi but further tweaked by Bentley's engineers.

In terms of pricing, Bentley boss Wolfgang Dürheimer has already said it will be more expensive than current high-end SUVs and will carry an estimated starting price of £130,000 ($204,000 / €164,000).

Bentley has decided that its upcoming luxury SUV will be called Bentayga, a name inspired by the natural world. Bentayga alludes both to the Taiga, the world’s largest transcontinental snow forest, and the rugged peak of the Roque Bentayga in the subtropical Canary Islands.

“Bentayga is a name that reflects what we know our SUV will do better than any other car in the world – combine the best automotive luxury with outstanding performance to take the Bentley experience to new environments,” said Wolfgang Dürheimer, Chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors.

The automaker has also released a new teaser photo depicting the lateral air outlets shaped in the form of the letter B, as well as a new video which reassures its target customers from the Middle East that the Bentayga will have no problem climbing steep sand dunes.

The SUV will be the first production Bentley to be offered with a plug-in hybrid option, possibly even with two variants, one with a petrol-electric solution and the other with a diesel-electric combination.

The entry-level model may get the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 petrol engine from the Continental and Flying Spur, while the range-topping version will feature the 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 engine with over 600hp. Promising “an impressive combination of on and off road performance,” the Bentley Bentayga will be revealed later this year and will go on sale in 2016.

These are the most revealing spy shots yet of Bentley's new Bentayga super-luxury SUV.

The prototype that our spies discovered sitting at a parking lot had completely shed its fake body panels keeping only the head- and tail lamp decals, plus the masked out third rear window and front fender air-vents (shown in one of Bentley's recent teasers).

Truth to be told, the Bentayga's profile doesn't look too different from that of Bentley's controversial 2012 EXP 9 F Concept, though, in that case, most of the criticism was directed towards the front end design, which will be completely different in the production model, as we saw in last year's video announcement.

Underneath, there will be a few surprises, as besides the turbocharged V8 and W12 engines, the Bentayga will be the first Bentley to offer a plug-in hybrid drivetrain capable of driving some 30 miles (nearly 50 kilometers) on batter power alone.

Bentley has said that its SUV will offer "an impressive combination of on and off road performance" with the top model reportedly being designed to have a top speed in excess of 200mph (+320km/h).

The Bentayga will be built at Bentley's Crewe facility and go on sale next year.

Bentley had record sales last year, delivering 11,020 cars worldwide, but the brand looks set to continue its spectacular growth thanks to its first SUV, the Bentayga.

Bentley’s SUV will arrive on the market in 2016, before rivals from Maserati, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce, and will certainly play a big part in VW Group’s plans to increase Bentley’s annual sales to 20,000 by 2020.

More than 4,000 potential customers have expressed an interest in the new Bentayga SUV, with Bentley CEO Wolfgang Duerheimer saying the model will be a big thing for the brand.

“The news about the new SUV is stirring up the market. We are very optimistic that we took the right decision. And the feedback we’re getting from potential customers is very good,” the executive said in an interview with Automotive News Europe.

While that was to be expected, Duerheimer revealed that the Bentayga will become the first Bentley to be equipped with a diesel engine, which is required in order for the brand to lower its CO2 emissions.

“Whoever has big engines and a comparably higher share of emissions needs to reduce more. We are reducing emissions with new engine technology on all our model lines. We have a brand new turbo V8. Our first diesel will be offered in the SUV, and we will also introduce a plug-in hybrid in the SUV,” the executive said.

No details were offered about the diesel unit, but will probably be a more powerful version of the 4.2-liter V8 TDI offered in the Audi A8. On the German luxury sedan, the engine produces 385PS (380hp).