Bentley will finish manufacturing of its “iconic” 12-cylinder petrol engine in April subsequent yr.
More than 100,000 W12s have been constructed on the agency’s manufacturing unit in Crewe, Cheshire over the previous 20 years.
The British luxurious automobile producer introduced on Wednesday it would halt manufacturing of the famed W12 engine, launched in 2003, because it strikes in direction of an electrical different.
The firm has dedicated to an all electrical automobile vary by 2030, coinciding with the banning of gross sales of recent petrol and diesel automobiles within the UK.
It follows an inventory of outstanding producers making a swap to electrical automobiles together with Jaguar and BMW.
Bentley chairman and chief government Adrian Hallmark mentioned: “Our progressive journey towards sustainable luxury mobility means making changes to every area of Bentley Motors.
“When we first launched the W12 again in 2003, we knew we had a mighty engine that will propel each our automobiles and the model forwards at pace.
“Twenty years and more than 100,000 W12s later, the time has come to retire this now iconic powertrain as we take strides towards electrification.”
The firm mentioned it hopes to “retrain and redeploy” the 30 workers concerned in assembling and testing W12s.
When manufacturing of the petrol engine is stopped, all Bentley fashions could have the choice of a hybrid powertrain.
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Jim Holder, editorial director of journal What Car?, described the W12 as “an icon of combustion engines, famed for its power, smoothness, refinement and more”.
He mentioned it ought to be remembered “as one example of the peak of what can be achieved technically with combustion engines”.
“But Bentley and its customers are acknowledging that we are entering a new environmentally conscious era, where outright performance and luxury can still be attained, but in a less consumptive manner,” he added.
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Volkswagen Group-owned Bentley made document gross sales in 2022, delivering 15,174 automobiles – a 4% rise in contrast with the earlier 12 months.
The improve was pushed by demand within the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.
Source: information.sky.com”