Bentley May Build a Super Luxurious SUV

There are some things in the auto industry that one takes for granted: Fiat is best known for its small cars like the Panda and Punto; Land Rover for its ultra-capable 4x4s like the Defender and the Disco and Ferrari for its glorious-sounding supercars.

In Bentley's case, it's the hand-crafted luxury coupes and sedans, but change is inevitable (especially if you operate under the umbrella of the VW Group…).

For example, look at the progress companies like Kia and Hyundai have made in recent years, or the fact that Jaguar and Land Rover now belong to Indian automaker Tata Motors.

Still, the concept of a Bentley SUV seems a little tough to swallow. However, that’s exactly what the powers-that-be in the luxury brand are considering according to a report from Bloomberg. We can already hear the outrage of Bentley loyalists who feel that a 92-year glorious history may be tarnished.

Now consider this: if someone told you in the 1990s that Porsche would build an SUV you would probably think that he lost his marbles. Today, Porsche has one SUV – the Cayenne- and has already confirmed development of a second crossover, the Cajun!

Whatever the purists may say, for the financial team it was the right decision as it brought in a lot of cash and ensured the company’s survival. Today, the Cayenne accounts for half of all Porsche’s sales.

Coincidentally (…), Bentley's current CEO Wolfgang Duerheimer was the man who, as Porsche’s head of development, oversaw the creation of the Cayenne. And now he wants Bentley to enter the highly lucrative luxury SUV market.

It’s also a booming market: in 2005 luxury SUVs sold 298,654 units. Last year, that number was 417,000. And research firm HIS estimates that the segment will grow by 15%, to 481,000 vehicles, until 2015.

"The traditional perception of brands - Bentley as the maker of large, luxurious sedans - is open to expansion," said Michael Tyndall, an analyst at Barclays Capital in London, adding that Bentley might be able to fetch a price of more than 120,000 euros for an SUV. "There appears to be customers out there who are willing to spend that much on a luxury SUV."

If the Crew-based luxury carmaker finally gives the green light to an SUV, there are plenty of resources and expertise in the VW Empire that it can utilize.

Bentley spokeswoman Benita von Maltzahn said there are "no concrete plans" for an SUV and VW spokesman Michael Brendel declined to comment. But then again, officials rarely confirm future models, especially in such an early stage.