Bentley's CEO did not mince words when he described the plan the brand set six years ago as dead and not coming back the way anyone expected. Frank-Steffan Walliser confirmed Bentley has moved away from its target of going all-electric by 2030, a goal set in 2020, even as it unveiled the Torcal, its first fully electric model.

The Torcal arrives with up to 876 horsepower and uses a 113-kWh battery, an 800-volt electrical architecture and rapid DC charging. But the bigger story is what happens after it since combustion and hybrid power are not going anywhere soon.

Walliser told reporters the all-electric roadmap Bentley announced in 2020 simply does not fit today's market. "This predictable planning is honestly gone, and I do not think it will come back" he said, pointing to shifting regulations and cooling demand for luxury EVs as the reasons behind the reversal, first reported by Autocar.

The Torcal itself already carries the scars of that hesitation. Coverage of Bentley's revised Beyond100+ plan describes a delay of about a year for its first EV, tied to market uncertainty, changing rules and slower than expected growth in high-end EV demand rather than a single clear cause.

Rather than lock in another fixed 2030 deadline, Walliser wants Bentley building EVs and plug-in hybrids on the same line and shifting output toward whichever powertrain customers actually order. The refreshed Beyond100+ strategy now targets a fully electric portfolio by 2035, with plug-in hybrids staying on sale alongside battery models longer than originally planned.

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