Bentley Continental GT back to electrify Korea with hybrid powertrain

Bentley's new Continental GT [CHO YONG-JUN] Bentley’s new Continental GT has returned to Korea, with the elimination of four engine cylinders compensated by a hybrid powertrain. The fourth-generation Continental GT Speed and Continental GTC Speed, which launched in Korea Thursday, no longer feature the signature W12 engine the company was known for. Related ArticleMacallan-Bentley collaboration on exclusive whisky drives home luxuryFlying Spur lands as Bentley's quickest sedan is quickest to Korea Instead, due to environmental regulations, the vehicle is equipped with a downsized 4.0 liter V8 twin-turbo engine paired with a 25.9 kilowatt-hour battery. “We are sad to lose the W12 engine but the regulation didn’t leave us any room, so we had to move forward,” Bentley Motors Korea Executive Director Christian Schlick told the media on Wednesday. Bentley's new Continental GT [CHO YONG-JUN] “Honestly speaking, the V8 engine, with the combination [of an electric motor] can do better than the W12; it is much more powerful while at the same time being very efficient.” The new Continental GT produces a combined 771 brake horsepower and 1,000 newton-meter (738 pound-foot) of torque that push the car from 0 to 62 miles an hour in just 3.4 seconds. The top speed of the vehicle is electronically limited to 285 kilometers per hour (177 miles per hour). In fact, the executive director told the media that the vehicle achieved 335 kilometers per hour during its promotional video shoot in an underwater tunnel in Norway, unofficially holding the record for land speed 300 meters (984 feet) below sea level. Bentley's new Continental GT [BENTLEY MOTORS KOREA] The new Continental GT Speed is also rated in Europe, through WLTP, to go fully electric for a distance of 78 kilometers and a speed of up to 130 kilometers per hour. The vehicle, therefore, comes with the company’s racing heritage-inspired fuel door on the right-hand side, with a EV charging port added to the left side of the vehicle. Bentley's new Continental GT [CHO YONG-JUN] All models will be hand-built at the company’s Crewe Factory in Britain. The Continental GT Speed will start at 346.1 million won ($251,000) while the convertible, the GTC Speed, will begin at 380 million won. The Mulliner variant of the Continental GT will launch in Korea early next year with a starting price of 374 million won and 410 million won, respectively. The Mulliner, Bentley’s coachbuilding division, will be an even more luxurious version of the Continental GT. BY CHO YONG-JUN, YONHAP [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]