Bentley eases into electric with its second luxury plug-in hybrid

If a plug-in Toyota Prius doesn't cut it, luxury carmaker Bentley has some more sumptuous options.

At a livestreamed event in Scotland on Tuesday, the British auto company revealed its second plug-in hybrid, the Flying Spur. Its first hybrid, a plug-in Bentley Bentayga SUV, was released before the pandemic.

The spacious sedan, which has been available since 2005, will be "hybridized" by the end of this year, with a similar look as its internal-combustion engine predecessor, also called the Flying Spur. But that's the point. It's a more fuel-efficient version of the original car — with a "Hybrid" badge on the front fender and a quieter drive. The gas-powered Flying Spur starts at just under $200,000, while the hybrid is $204,000.

An inside look. Credit: bentley

The hybrid version will provide about 25 miles of pure electric range and has an EV Drive mode to run the car entirely with the battery. When fully charged and combined with its fully fueled V6 engine, it can go more than 430 miles. It's a touch slower than its V8, gas-engine counterpart, taking 4.1 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph instead of 4 seconds flat.

There's Flawless Emerald green, Crisp Frost white, Open Ocean blue, and Quiet Intensity gray for color choices.

You can custom configure the Flying Spur Hybrid on the Bentley website.

A clue that this car is different. Credit: bentley

Bentley, a 102-year-old company, has plans to go all electric by 2030, but until then it'll keep adding hybrid versions of its traditional vehicles. Its first 100-percent battery electric vehicle is slated to arrive by 2026.

"We want to add sustainability to the comfort luxury experience," CEO Adrian Hallmark said from headquarters in Crewe, England.