Continental GT

Make
Bentley
Segment
Coupe

2019 is a critical year for Bentley, as the company gets ready to reveal an all-new Flying Spur and its first plug-in vehicle, a hybrid version of the Bentayga SUV. This is also a historically important year for Bentley because the company is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Bentley already gifted itself a lavish book that commemorates its centenary, but that's not all the automaker has up its sleeve. According to Autocar, Bentley is currently working on a new concept vehicle that will preview the "future of grand touring." The concept is set to be revealed on July 10, 2019, and we have a few details about it.

The car is tentatively called the Centenary Concept and will showcase display technologies and design elements that will be used on Bentley models for the next 30 years. It better be a good-looking and forward-thinking concept, though, because it's previewing production cars that could last until 2049. Bentley has already confirmed that the Centenary Concept will be a hydrogen hybrid, marking the company's first foray into hydrogen technology. We know Bentley has been working on hybrid and electric cars, but an emphasis on hydrogen feels like a sudden and surprising revelation.

Bentley design director Stefan Sielaff said the concept is "a manifesto for how we see Bentley in the future. It's about sustainability, social responsibility, local sourcing, materials. It's a big change in our thinking because society is changing."

In terms of how the car will look, Sielaff said "It's a view into the future. [But] we don't want to show a spaceship. It should be something that everyone knows is a Bentley and that the technology we show [is credible]. It's not only a design statement but a statement for the company." We hope the concept pulls inspiration from the stunning EXP 10 Speed 6 and EXP12 Speed6E concepts from a few years ago since both cars preserve Bentley's styling yet offer a glimpse into the company's future. Bentley says the car will utilize transparent OLED displays on the door cards, which is an idea the company experimented with back in 2017.