Bentley, a British luxury automaker is planning to add electric cars in its future lineup. The company is set to launch a plug-in hybrid car model of the Bentayga later this year or early next year. This automaker is seriously considering producing a package of a fully electric drivetrain. The driving force includes mileage standards as well as compliance with stringent global emissions. There is also the pressure to include a novel zero-emission models in its fleet.

There has been stiff competition in the market of luxury sports car as more and more carmakers are opting to go green. A recent addition is Aston Martin, which has plans to produce a battery-powered model of the Rapide. This is a clear demonstration of the growing level of competitiveness in the luxury electric vehicle market.

The electric car anticipated to be launched by Bentley is the EXP10 Speed Six production version, whose concept was displayed at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. The car’s design was an invention of Luc Donckerwolke, the styling chief. It is smaller in size compared to Bentley’s Continental FT. Its production will also be higher in level compared to other Bentley models. This means that the audience reached will be larger than the current market served by Bentley.

CEO Wolfgang Durheimer made it clear that he is interested in producing a second sports utility car as an addition to the current line-up, after the Bentayga. In the case whereby a second, smaller SUV gets to be produced after corporate approval, it is likely to have a downsized building base. It will also be grounded on the modular architecture that was designed for Bentayga. A similar platform will be applicable also for the Porsche Cayenne’s next-generation. This will be along with an alternative to the Audi Q7 from Volkswagen family’s sister companies.

As mentioned above, the current emission standard is the key driving force, as well as subsidies and regulations in the markets. Bentley’s CEO in the United States sales arm, Michael Winkler, the standards are high across all global markets. Some places such as London are thinking of coming up with regulations that may not allow people to enter the city in a vehicle that is not electrified. In China, hefty incentives are given to electric cars. In major cities such as Bangkok and Shanghai, electric cars are not required to comply with restrictions regarding the vehicle numbers allowed to be registered. This clearly shows that electric cars are the trend that all automakers should adopt.