This Bentley concept reveals the brand's future... If you know where to look
But longer term, the high-riding saloon concept is testing the water for a bodystyle to replace the Mulsanne, the traditional limousine that rivalled the Rolls-Royce Phantom until it went out of production in 2020. Advertisement - Article continues below
The electric EXP15 – only the fifteenth experimental car in Bentley's 106-year history – has almost the same footprint as the long-wheelbase Mulsanne, measuring 5.5-metres long and with a 3.5m-long wheelbase. But the show car stands 6cm higher due to its sizable ground clearance, with its ride height rising on tough terrain or lowering at speed to improve aerodynamics.
Auto Express was treated to a sneak preview at the official opening of Bentley's new design studio at its Crewe factory, just before customers were ushered through to take a look. The concept will also take a bow at the world's richest car show in Pebble Beach, California, while the social media response will be closely monitored. All the feedback will help Bentley decide whether to green light the bodystyle as one of five electric cars planned for its new EV factory by 2035. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below
The concept car blends SUV, coupe and sedan forms to create something fresh in the luxury space, although cars such as the Citroën C5 X and BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo have tried it unsuccessfully in more mainstream circles. Head of exterior design Domen Rucigaj told Auto Express the purpose was to find a bodystyle with more commercial appeal than just a traditional limousine, during an exclusive walkaround of the show car.
'One of the first [instructions] I gave the team was to design the car a little bit higher, because we want a global car. This means you're not doing a limousine but an SUV. But SUVs can be negative in cities because they're so big. So I said, let's merge the two cars together – and use the 'Blue Train' as inspiration.' Advertisement - Article continues below
The Blue Train is the legendary 1930 Bentley mistakenly credited with beating a locomotive in a race from Cannes to Calais. Bentley chairman Woolf Barnato actually drove a Speed Six four-door saloon, but he was inaccurately painted as using another coachbuilt Bentley, the one-off Speed Six Gurney Nutting Sportsman coupe. Its rakishly thin, curved window graphic and cab-backward notchback proportions have very much influenced the concept car's.
As has its three-seat cockpit. But while the Blue Train had a rear seat mounted at 90˚ to the two front seats, the EXP15 contains a conventionally positioned driver's seat and two rear armchairs. But on the passenger side, the standalone seat offers epic legroom from the rear (with storage space in front) or it could slide forward into a co-driver position. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below
And the three-seat concept is not as outlandish as it first appears. 'There's no reason why we couldn't do something along these lines, within the footprint of the car,' head of interior design Darren Day told Auto Express. 'Maybe it's flexible: we have four- and five-seat cars or three- and four-seat cars. It's really good to test the water and get feedback.'
The EXP15 is asymmetrical: the driver's side has a coupe's single door, while the passenger side has suicide doors. When these doors open, a portion of the roof pivots away and the single chair rotates towards the aperture, enabling the passenger to 'step out with dignity in the perfect Instagram shot,' says Day, onto a projection of red light to give a red carpet-effect.
This isn't a flight of fancy either. Bentley has patents for the movable roof section, and engineers are striving to channel rainwater away: nothing would ruin the Instagram moment more than a celebrity getting a huge drip on the head, though the resulting meme would no doubt break the internet. Advertisement - Article continues below
So it appears there's genuine production intent for these features, either in a future series model or as Bentley expands its coachbuilt range by the Mulliner division, which has delivered the limited edition Batur and Bacalar.
The EXP15 will have a profound influence on Bentley's first electric car, which we're set to see in the first half of 2026 before full production in 2027.
The upright front end and long bonnet leading into a strong shoulder line are Bentley design pillars, and the clean, modernist surfacing – chosen for its 'timeless' quality according to designer Rucigaj – is sure to feature.
Take a close look at the grille too. Although those recessed vertical headlamps are unlikely, a version of that dramatic grille – with its central spine and recessed crystals – are set for production Bentleys. The engineers have been working for four years to productionise the illuminated crystal effect, to ensure it meets regulations and repairability criteria.
Backlit crystal will also adorn the cockpit, as Bentley experiments with shining light through translucent materials. This should create spectacular, animated patterns inspired by nature, such as the moon shimmering on water.
'We do concept cars to establish design principles and to understand where we are going, and to show our more modern design language of cars that will come,' concludes Robin Page, Bentley's director of design.
Tell us which new car you're interested in and get the very best offers from our network of over 5,500 UK dealers to compare. Let's go…
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Car Deal of the Day: 10k miles a year in Cupra's Terramar for under £300 a month
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