Bentley Bentayga diesel to kick off from $335k

BENTLEY’S diesel-powered Bentayga is expected to be the most popular version of the ultra-luxury SUV when it hits Australian shores in about April next year.

The diesel Bentayga will kick off from $335,000 excluding on-road costs when it goes on sale, about $92,000 less than the $427,300 W12 variant that arrived earlier this year.

Full specification is being held back for now, but it will make its Australian debut at the Melbourne Formula One Grand Prix in March before deliveries commence in April.

The 4.0-litre triple-turbo diesel is the same VW Group unit found under the bonnet of Audi’s forthcoming SQ7 Performance SUV and it produces 320kW and 900Nm, ensuring a 0-100km/h sprint time of 4.8 seconds on to a top speed 270km/h.

Fuel use is down to 7.9 litres per 100km compared with the thirstier 6.0-litre W12 that slurps 12.8L/100km.

Speaking with GoAuto at the launch of the Be Extraordinary Tour event in Melbourne this week, Bentley Asia-Pacific dealer sales manager David Simpson said while some buyers Down Under may prefer the traditional Bentley W12, he expected the diesel to be a hit.

“The Australian market is a very diesel-heavy market,” he said. “Audi hasn’t led with petrol with Q7, Maserati haven’t led with petrol in the new Levante.

There is certainly an appetite and understanding of what it means to have a turbo-diesel engine.

“Now that we are introducing a triple-turbo engine, and introducing it in a package like a Bentley, we know it will certainly be a stronger preference in Australia than the W12. W12 means a lot to the Bentley heritage and there are a lot of customers that have a feeling that a true Bentley has a W12.” Mr Simpson highlighted the benefits and appeal of the diesel and acknowledged the popularity of oil burners in Australia.

“What we are looking at doing in Australia is introducing new engine variants, and speaking to new customers in the market. Certainly diesel will be an incredible performer for us in Australia. There are always people who wish to have the most powerful engine.

“What the diesel offers though is a triple turbo, the highest range of any Bentley we have ever had and it will be an incredibly dynamic and incredibly powerful diesel SUV and we know that will go very well in Australia and high-tax markets in Asia.”

Without discussing sales targets, Mr Simpson said the diesel Bentayga would ensure a lift in overall sales in Australia and added that the launch of Bentley Financial Services would also open up opportunities to welcome new buyers to the fold.

“We never really comment on volumes. I don’t think we are targeting to double sales or adding another 50 per cent to be honest, we just know that for the Australian market, something like a big ticket diesel is perfectly well-suited to customers.

“Certainly with the introduction of Bentley Financial Services now, that should make it a far more accessible thing for people.

“What we wanted to do was introduce something like financial services where all of a sudden Bentley becomes financially accessible and not just something people aspire to and put out of their minds until later.

“When I first started talking to customers around Australia, a Bentley was considered a million-dollar car, and it is certainly not a million dollars.

What we would like to introduce is a way for people to understand that there is a manageable and sensible way to actually have that car you aspire to have.”

Mr Simpson said while there were no plans to increase the dealer network in Australia, he was expecting an uptick in overall sales in the coming years on the company investing in the local market.

“We are represented in all major cities – Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne. Australia is an incredibly important market for Bentley. With the introduction of the Bantayga diesel and introduction of financial services and being able to tour now something like this (Be Extraordinary Tour), we are certainly investing in the market and we do hope to see a big upturn in sales in the next couple of years from Australia.”

He reiterated the importance of the Australian market for Bentley and said race events were key to building the brand Down Under.

“What we are always mindful of is to not lose our brand essence and to make sure that we are still providing the lifestyle that people have become accustomed to. So we do things like the Melbourne Grand Prix and we will race at Bathurst (12 Hour) and these are becoming more and more important globally on the calendar for Bentley.

“Bathurst is an incredibly important race for the factory and we are already in deep discussions on how we are going to approach that race next year and how we are going to approach customers. And Australia is very firmly on the map of Bentley worldwide.”2017 Bentley Bentayga pricing*

Diesel (a)	$335,000
W12 (a)	$427,300

*Excludes on-road costs