Bentley freshens Bentayga Hybrid

The Bentley Bentayga Hybrid, the British ultraluxury brand's first and only electrified vehicle, has been freshened for 2021, following updates of the standard Bentayga and Bentayga Speed.

Bentley said the freshened Bentayga Hybrid is one of two plug-in hybrid models it will launch in 2021 as it prepares for an electrified future.

In November, Bentley said it would be dropping internal combustion engines from its lineup by 2030 and switch the entire lineup to full-electric vehicles.

Its first full-electric vehicle is set for a 2025 launch. By 2026, Bentley will offer only plug-in hybrids or EVs.

The latest Bentayga Hybrid is powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 engine paired with an electric motor for a total of 443 hp and 516 pound-feet of torque. The hybrid system utilizes a 17.3-kilowatt-hour lithium battery.

The Bentayga Hybrid has an electric-only range of 31 miles on the NEDC test cycle.

Bentley launched the Bentayga Hybrid in late 2019 and U.S. sales began in the second quarter of 2020.

The British automaker, pointing to internal research, said that more than 90 percent of Bentayga Hybrid customers drive the vehicle on a daily basis or several times a week. Bentley noted that nearly 100 percent of Bentayga Hybrid customers use electric-only mode, with half of customers "consistently undertaking journeys of less than 30 miles."

Outside of a hybrid exterior badge, the refreshed Bentayga Hybrid, as with the pre-face-lifted model, looks identical to the gas-powered Bentayga.

Bentley also predicted that the hybrid will become the best-selling Bentayga variant, which also includes the V-8 version and W-12 powered Speed model.

The refresh will also come with a price increase. The 2021 hybrid starts at $183,225, including shipping, which is the same starting price as the Bentayga V-8. Pricing for the 2020 hybrid model started at $162,725 including shipping.

U.S. deliveries of the hybrid will begin in April.