Bentley Speed 6 will be an ELECTRIC sports car so it doesn’t compete with the Audi R8

[nggallery id=2062 template=customlinks]

The Bentley Speed 6 two-seater sports car is likely to arrive as a production model with an electric powertrain so it doesn’t compete with the Audi R8.

Bentley, under the ownership of Volkswagen, has developed a hugely successful range of cars, with the Continental cars offering a modern take on Bentley, the Mulsanne catering for the deep-pocketed traditionalists, and the new Bentayga SUV mopping up on the back of the world’s obsession with SUVs.

But Bentley clearly believe there’s a market for another model in its range – a two seater sports car, delivered as both a coupe and convertible.

That potential model was delivered as the Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 Concept in 2015, and this year the Speed 6 returned as the EXP 12 Speed 6e, complete with an electric powertrain and no roof. And that looks to be the direction for the Speed 6.

Speaking to Motoring, Bentley’s head of technical operations for Mulliner, Uday Senapati, believes the Speed 6 will probably need to be an electric sports car to get it signed off by VW for production.

With much of the development work done on the Speed 6, Senapati said the task was made possible thanks to the resources of the VW Group, but it seems to be the VW Group’s other marques which are the obstacle to production versions of the Speed 6.

Senapati said Bentley had to be careful not to step on the toes of Porsche, Audi and Lamborghini with its plans, but that the Audi R8 was the real stumbling block to a production Speed 6.

But the R8 e-tron is dead and buried (for now), so it would make sense for Bentley to deliver the Speed 6 as an electric car, and if it matches the EXP 12 Concept’s expected 310 mile range, 600bhp and 0-62mph of 3.0 seconds, it will be a proper Bentley – despite its EV powertrain.