Today marks Bentley's one-hundredth birthday, and the luxury automaker is celebrating in style with the reveal of an extraordinary concept car. The EXP 100 GT represents Bentley's vision of the future of luxury grand touring. Specifically, Bentley says the EXP 100 GT Concept envisions what a grand tourer could look like in 2035.
"Today, on our Centenary, we demonstrate our vision of the future of our Marque, with the Bentley EXP 100 GT – a modern and definitive grand tourer designed to demonstrate that the future of luxury mobility is as inspirational and aspirational as the last 100 years. Bentley has, and will continue to enhance and enrich every single journey and the lives of every single person who travels in, or has the honor to be a part of creating our extraordinary products," said Adrian Hallmark, Bentley Chairman and CEO.
At its heart is a fully electric powertrain with an intelligent power and charge management system. The battery system powers four electric motors that offer a 0-62 mph time of under 2.5 seconds, a top speed of 186 mph, and maximum torque of 1,106 lb-ft, but no power output was revealed. The batteries offer five times the conventional energy destiny, reducing weight while still offering a range of 435 miles. As a result, the Bentley EXP 100 GT can be charged to 80 percent in just 15 minutes and only weighs 4,188 pounds. Naturally, there's also an optional autonomous driving mode for long journeys.
Like Bentley's last concept, the stunning EXP12 Speed6E revealed in 2017, the EXP 100 GT is visually striking, with a sleek and muscular exterior that previews the brand's future design direction. It's still instantly recognizable as a Bentley, however, retaining the famous R-Type Continental haunch at the rear, while the round headlights overlapping the grille are a nod to the famous Bentley Blower race car. "The Bentley EXP 100 GT represents the kind of cars we want to make in the future. Like those iconic Bentleys of the past, this car connects with its passengers' emotions and helps them experience and safeguard the memories of the really extraordinary journeys they take," explained Stefan Sielaff, Director of Design.
Made from lightweight aluminum and carbon fiber, the Bentley EXP 100 GT measures 19 feet long and almost 7.8 feet wide, while decorative features crafted from copper and aluminum further enhance the concept's opulent look. The doors also pivot outwards and upwards for easier access. At the front is a matrix grille and Flying B mascot that illuminate when someone approaches the car, with exterior lighting beamed across the grille, through the mascot, along the hood, and into the cabin.
Inside, Bentley has set a new benchmark for luxury interiors, with wood, leather, and glass materials seamlessly blended with light from the innovative glass roof, which is embedded with prisms that collect light and transfer it into the cabin using fiber optics, enhancing the wellbeing of occupants.
Ambient lighting can be adjusted for specific moods and additional effects are delivered through projection mapping onto trim panels such as door pads. The in-car displays also use augmented reality and an intuitive interface that includes transparent OLED displays in the doors. A front entertainment screen can be used for displaying films, live video and other media when the EXP 100 is in autonomous mode.
At the center of the main console is the Bentley Personal Assistant visualized using illuminated crystal, an advanced AI system that can personalize the cabin for passengers, offer points of interest on a route, journey suggestions, or available luxury experiences nearby. It features five modes: Enhance, Cacoon, Capture, Re-Live and Customize. Interaction with the AI is made with gesture controls.
Enhance harvests inputs from the outside environment such as light, sound, smell, and air quality to replicate an open-top grand touring experience without the roof down, while Cacoon creates a protective space including air purification and glass areas that turn opaque for privacy. Capture records experiences from both inside and outside the car and Re-Live replays highlights of the grand touring experience. Customize, on the other hand, combines elements from all other modes.
With its sleek styling, advanced AI technology, innovative interior, and excellent engineering, Bentley believes the EXP 100 GT has redefined the future of grand touring.