Karmactive Team
Bentley has unveiled its EXP 15 concept, showcasing a radical design direction that makes Jaguar’s recent electric reboot appear conservative by comparison. The concept, revealed at Bentley’s new design studio in Crewe, offers a glimpse into the British luxury brand’s electric future while drawing inspiration from its storied past.
Standing over 197 inches long (longer than a Kia Telluride), the EXP 15 features an unusual three-door, three-seat layout that breaks dramatically from traditional luxury sedan design. Its tall stance and sloping fastback silhouette blur the lines between sedan, SUV and coupe, creating what Bentley describes as an “elevated sporting sedan.”
Robin Page, Bentley’s Director of Design, explained the concept’s purpose: “The beauty of a concept car is not just to position our new design language, but to test where the market’s going. It’s clear that SUVs are a growing segment and we understand the GT market, but the trickiest segment is the sedan because it’s changing.”
The EXP 15’s unusual door configuration features a conventional driver’s side door and twin coach doors on the passenger side that open alongside part of the roof. This arrangement allows for a more graceful entry and exit, particularly for the innovative passenger-side seat that can swivel outward by 45 degrees.
This flexible passenger seat can be positioned in multiple configurations: up front next to the driver in “Co-pilot” mode, slid back to a rear-seat position in “Standard” setting, or reclined for “Relax” mode. The front passenger space also offers room for luggage or even a pet carrier when not occupied by a human.
Perhaps the most unusual feature is the tailgate, which folds down to create two small jump seats alongside a deployable mood lamp and small refrigerator – effectively transforming the trunk into what Bentley calls “upmarket picnic seating.”
While boldly futuristic, the EXP 15 deliberately incorporates heritage elements. Its design draws inspiration from the legendary 1930 three-seater Bentley Speed Six “Blue Train” car. Key classic Bentley design elements reinterpreted for the electric age include an upright grille, long hood (which Bentley calls an “endless bonnet line”), and powerful rear haunches.
Despite no longer needing airflow for a combustion engine, the EXP 15 retains Bentley’s iconic vertical grille, reimagined as an illuminated digital art piece featuring the brand’s diamond pattern and a central light spine.
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The interior continues this blend of traditional luxury and cutting-edge technology. A full-width digital dashboard can be turned off to reveal a wood veneer surface underneath. Behind this sits what designers call the “Mechanical Marvel” – a clock-like device with multiple movable and illuminated fingers that can display information about the car’s direction, battery charge, and more.
Material choices range from traditional to innovative. Fox Brothers, a 250-year-old English weaver, supplied 100% wool textile for the interior, while other surfaces feature lightweight 3D-printed titanium and an illuminated woven metal mesh called “Acrylic Couture.”
The exterior wears “Pallas Gold” liquid metal satin paint, featuring an ultra-thin aluminum pigment that allows radar sensors to transmit through it without signal degradation. The highly reflective coating also makes the vehicle more visible to other cars’ lidar systems – a nod to future autonomous driving environments.
As for technical specifications, Bentley has been deliberately vague, saying only that the EXP 15 is “conceived as having a fully-electric, all-wheel drive powertrain with a long range and recharging speeds commensurate with the convenience customers have come to expect.”
The concept is not a direct preview of Bentley’s first production electric vehicle coming in 2026. However, the company confirms that certain exterior design elements and interior technology ideas from the EXP 15 “could become reality in the longer term.”
This concept represents a significant milestone in Bentley’s “Beyond 100” strategy, which targets an all-electric product range by 2035. The brand plans to introduce a new electric or hybrid model annually until reaching that goal, with its first production EV – described as the “world’s first true Luxury Urban SUV” – slated for reveal in 2026 and customer deliveries beginning in 2027.
While the EXP 15’s more radical elements may not reach production unchanged, it clearly signals Bentley’s determination to reinvent itself for the electric age while maintaining connections to its heritage.
