Bentley goes big with new concept at studio launch

Bentley has chosen to combine the opening of its new design studio in Crewe with a new concept car in tow. This is no empty gesture for publicity’s sake: it is a statement for the brand’s future design vision, perhaps more significant than any in the brand's storied history.

The EXP 15 draws inspiration from its heritage in grand tourers and specifically the 1930 three-seater Speed Six, affectionally known as the “Blue Train”. It may lean on the past but there is nothing nostalgic about this – the word ‘modern’ is employed consistently throughout the press materials and indeed in the presentation by design leadership in Crewe. Perhaps fitting, then, that the full-size model is supported by a virtual reality interior.

To draw on the current line-up, the car feels like a middle ground between the Bentayga and Continental GT. At five-metres long with an extended bonnet and fast roofline, it has the presence one would expect of a Bentley from any era. Design director Robin Page explains that the goal was to explore the future of the sedan in the context of increased appetite for SUVs. “The beauty of a concept car is not just to position our new design language, but to test where the market’s going,” he says. “Some customers want a classic ‘three-box’ sedan shape, others a ‘one-box’ design, and others again something more elevated. So this was a chance for us to talk to people and get a feeling.”

Shown in a soft gold colour with matching eight-spoke wheels it is very much a contemporary vision of luxury. Lighting, as expected, has been employed in a supporting role across the grille, side vents and badge, along with the Flying B on the bonnet.

From the rear, it is all muscle and brawn with heavy massing around the arches — a wide track that pushes the tyres ever so slightly past those arches – and a new elliptical tail lamp design that wraps around the boot, separated at the corners ever so slightly and breaking at the centre, but flowing continuously thanks to a seamless recess. The cabin appears to taper moving from front to rear, emphasising the performance feel of the car; this is most evident with a direct comparison from both views.

A new headlamp design sits up front, but that is arguably overshadowed by the glow from the backlit central grille. Much like the intricate polished metal grilles of before, it is all shine and presence and largely performs the same role – grabbing attention. “Grilles used to be all about getting air to the combustion engine through the front of the car,” notes Page. “But now with light technology changing we have an opportunity to create a piece of digital art. So the grille stays as our iconic front.”

The J-shape lights at each corner do well to frame the front mask and emphasise the upright stance of the car. Look closer, and delicate creases in the bonnet and a lower diffuser remind onlookers of the performance that no doubt lurks beneath. But not is all as it seems: rather than funnelling air, these creates are in fact panels to access the storage area beneath the bonnet, inspired by the piano-style hinges of the 1930 Gurney Nutting coupe. Similar touches can be seen elsewhere, from the side vents beneath the A-pillar to the more aggressive double roof spoiler and rear splitter.

There is no physical interior to speak of currently, and the team instead put together a virtual experience to showcase the cabin. The idea is that countless configurations can be shown, rather than just one. In any case, the design retains the expected level of luxury and Bentley touches, with traditional dials and switches, fine materials and delicate use of metal and glass. But as with the rest of the car, there is a merging of traditional and contemporary. A 100% wool textile by Fox Brothers – which has been around for 250 years itself – is used alongside various lightweight 3D-printed titanium finishes, for example. Elsewhere, fine silk jacquard textile might team with Acrylic Couture, a kind of woven metal mesh encapsulated in acrylic and then illuminated.

Perhaps most striking is the modular passenger seat, which can turn to improve ingress-egress or slide back for added leg room. “You just get out with dignity and the Instagram shot is perfect,” notes head of interior design Darren Day. With the seat pushed back, owners could also stow their matching Bentley luggage or dog bed in the space by the footwell. A pleasant cream, gold and damson (plum) colourway is shown in renders.

The geometric pattern of the front grille is repeated across the doorcards and into the edge of the IP. From there, a large T-shaped screen flows across the dash and down into the centre console. Beneath this sits a circular dial – also gently illuminated – with knurled air conditioning controls for both passenger and driver. Bliss. 

That pattern continues at the rear, embracing both rear passengers as it rises from the doorcard into what we will call the headliner for ease (there is no conventional headliner). Perhaps a nod to Bentley’s increasing foray into interior design and furniture, rear passengers – “the special few” – are greeted by a tasteful reading light. Ambient lighting in the truest sense. And as we have seen across multiple segments of late, the boot is now multifunctional and turns into a bench seat – a proper bench seat with individual leather supports and an integrated drinks trolley. Upmarket picnicking, as Bentley puts it.

Any Bentley feels significant, but the EXP15 particularly so. It not only debuts a new look but nods to a revolution on the horizon and how future electric Bentleys will look: by 2035, all models will be fully electric.