Bentley has taken one of the biggest turns in its 107-year history with the unveiling of the Torcal, its first fully electric production car and a model the British luxury marque says will influence the design and technology of future Bentleys. With no V8 or W12 under its long bonnet, the new electric SUV instead packs two motors producing as much as 888hp and 1,350Nm, making it the highest-torque Bentley yet.
The Torcal will become Bentley’s fourth model line and is expected to reach India in the second half of 2027. It will sit below the Bentayga in size but is expected to cost considerably more, with an estimated ex-showroom price of around Rs 4.5 crore when it arrives in the country.
888hp without a V8
The flagship Torcal uses two permanent-magnet electric motors fed by a large 113kWh net-capacity battery operating on an 800V electrical architecture. The system produces 888hp and 1,350Nm, allowing the roughly 2.7-tonne luxury SUV to accelerate from 0-100kph in a claimed 2.9 seconds.
Bentley has deliberately stopped short of chasing four-digit horsepower figures despite the underlying architecture being capable of supporting significantly greater outputs. The Torcal is based on the Volkswagen Group’s Premium Platform Electric architecture, which also underpins the Porsche Cayenne Electric, but Bentley has tuned the package around its traditional combination of performance, comfort and long-distance ability.
The battery delivers a claimed WLTP range of 600km, while its high-voltage architecture supports charging at up to 400kW. Bentley says a 10-80 per cent charge can be completed in around 16 minutes on a sufficiently powerful charger, while about 160km of range can be added in seven minutes. Such 400kW public charging infrastructure is not currently available in India, meaning buyers here are unlikely to initially exploit the Torcal’s maximum charging capability.
Bentley without an engine
The absence of a combustion engine posed a particular challenge for a company whose identity has long been tied to large-capacity engines. Bentley has attempted to give the Torcal its own acoustic character through what it calls “Dynamic Symphony”, rather than digitally recreating the sound of its outgoing V8 or W12 engines.
The system uses recordings of real musical instruments, including drums, viola and bass guitar, and changes its intensity according to vehicle speed, torque demand and driving mode. Owners who prefer the near-silence associated with an EV can switch the system off entirely.
Four Experience Modes — Sport, Bentley, Comfort and Refresh — alter the vehicle’s dynamics as well as cabin lighting, sound, displays and climate settings. In Comfort mode, the Torcal can also reduce the amount of information shown on its screens as part of what Bentley describes as a “digital detox”.
New face for electric Bentley
At about five metres long, the Torcal is around 120mm shorter and 50mm lower than a standard-wheelbase Bentayga, while retaining a wheelbase of more than three metres. Despite being electric, it retains Bentley’s characteristic long-bonnet proportions, with the passenger compartment pushed rearwards and short overhangs helping disguise its considerable dimensions.
With no conventional radiator grille required, Bentley has created an illuminated front panel featuring crystal-effect diamond elements behind clear polycarbonate. The Torcal is also among the first models to showcase Bentley’s redesigned winged emblem, while slim lighting elements and a broad stance distinguish it from the company’s combustion-engined SUVs.
The standard car gets 21-inch wheels, although the First Edition displayed at its unveiling rode on 22-inch units. A 90-litre storage compartment sits beneath the bonnet, supplementing a 460-litre rear boot.
New-generation cabin
Inside, Bentley has resisted the industry trend towards replacing virtually every physical control with a touchscreen. A large curved OLED display dominates the dashboard and flows towards the centre console, but physical switches and rotary controls remain for several frequently used functions.
The Torcal also introduces facial recognition through a camera integrated into the rear-view mirror. It can identify the driver and automatically retrieve individual seat, steering and driver-assistance settings, while an augmented-reality head-up display projects navigation and hazard information into the driver’s field of vision.
All four doors are electrically operated and use radar to help prevent them opening into obstacles. The driver can close the door by pressing the brake pedal, while rear passengers can trigger door closure by fastening their seat belts.
Bentley has also introduced what it describes as the automotive industry’s first 100 per cent Merino wool fabric, developed with British textile specialist Fox Brothers. Buyers will continue to have extensive personalisation options, including 15 leather shades and new wood, aluminium and Mulliner finishes.
Advanced chassis, rear-wheel steering
The Torcal gets fully active suspension that eliminates conventional anti-roll bars, along with rear-wheel steering capable of turning the rear wheels by as much as five degrees. Bentley says the system helps reduce the turning circle to 11.1 metres despite the SUV’s substantial dimensions.
Carbon-ceramic brakes with 440mm front discs will be optional, while its driver-assistance package uses a combination of 25 radars, cameras and sensors. The Torcal can retrace the final 50 metres of a previously driven route in reverse and can remotely manoeuvre itself into a designated parking space from as far as 200 metres away.
India launch in 2027
Bentley plans to introduce the Torcal in India during the second half of 2027, with an expected price of around Rs 4.5 crore before registration and other charges. Despite being positioned below the Bentayga in terms of dimensions, the EV is expected to carry a higher price because it will not receive the same customs-duty advantage available to some combustion-engined models under the India-UK trade framework.
More importantly, the Torcal marks a fundamental shift for Bentley. After more than a century in which large engines formed a central part of the marque’s identity, its first EV will test whether performance, craftsmanship and luxury can carry the Bentley character into an era without the sound of a combustion engine.