Bentley Falcon SUV to Launch in Q1 of 2016

Bentley Falcon SUV to Launch in Q1 of 2016
02/10/2013 editor

The Bentley SUV – previewed by the EXP 9 F Concept, now called Bentley Falcon, will launch in Q1 2016.

The Bentley Falcon will be made in Crewe and will go on sale in 2016. It will create over 1000 jobs in the UK. Over the next three years Bentley will invest more than £800 million in its headquarters at Crewe and the development of new models.

bentley falconConsidering the Bentley Falcon is still years away from a launch, we know quite a lot about it – except how it will finally look. That’s because Bentley has gone back to the drawing board for their SUV after the EXP 9 F Concept got a drubbing for its looks when it was revealed (image left). However, we do know Bentley want to create a new niche with their SUV, that they will be investing heavily at Crewe to make the SUV – creating many new jobs in the process – and that it will launch at some point in 2016.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who was present together with Dr Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Volkswagen Group for the announcement at Bentley headquarters in Crewe, said: “This £800 million investment and a thousand new jobs from Bentley is fantastic news for both Crewe and for the UK as a whole. It is another important milestone in strengthening our economy.

“One sector that we know is sprinting ahead in the global race is our booming automotive industry. One vehicle rolls off a production line somewhere in the UK every 20 seconds and we have just launched the Government’s Automotive Industrial Strategy to help continue this success for years to come.

“I am delighted that Bentley will be building their new vehicle here, not only creating a thousand jobs, but safeguarding many more, as well as increasing training opportunities for highly skilled apprentices.”

Dr Winterkorn said: “The Volkswagen Group believes in the UK as a competitive location for industrial production. Bentley fans all around the world are looking forward to the brand’s first SUV. Together we will make this new Bentley another true Bentley – powerful, exclusive and successful.”

But now we know Bentley plan to launch their SUV in Q1 2016 after Bentley’s Chris Buxton, Regional Manager for Middle East, Africa and India, told Indians Auto Blog:

We are launching it in the first quarter of 2016. So I think between now and then it might get underground a little bit as we develop it and then closer to launch you will see what the car looks like.

So it looks like Bentley want to keep the looks of their SUV under wraps for a bit longer, but as it is launching in Q1 2016 we can  expect to see a virtually finished version by Frankfurt 2015, if not before.