Bentley may take on Tesla with an electric SUV

pulse

February 27, 2017 4:27 PM

A future electric SUV would be smaller than the Bentayga.

Bentley Bentayga.

Bentley might make an electric SUV in the future.

Bentley certainly plans on adding a small SUV to its lineup and is toying with the idea of making it all-electric, Automotive News first reported.

Bentley CEO Wolfgang Duerheimer said at the company's

"If you are looking for such a car [small SUV] then we are looking to that in combination with the possibilities to go full electric," Frech said, according to Automotive News. "It only makes sense if you get really new customers into the brand."

Last year, Bentley committed to releasing a hybrid Bentayga in 2017, according to the Drive. At the time, Frech said it was likely Bentley's Speed 6 concept car would be the company's first fully electric vehicle, but that Bentley hadn't figured out the precise direction it wanted to go in yet.

It's possible Bentley is changing course at a time when demand is rising for SUVs. If Bentley were to release an all-electric SUV crossover, it would place the automaker in square competition with Tesla.

Tesla currently sells its Model X SUV and has plans to release a compact SUV, the Model Y, at some point in the future.

pulse