2014 Bentley Flying Spur: First Look

• Competes with: Rolls Royce Ghost, Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG
• Looks like: An updated "entry-level" Bentley, with cues from the Mulsanne
• Drivetrain: 616-hp, twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W-12, eight-speed automatic transmission, standard all-wheel drive
• Hits dealerships: This spring

Bentley has updated the sedan version of its Continental coupe, dropping the Continental name and simply calling it the 2014 Flying Spur. The move makes the Flying Spur its own line that's separate from the Continental coupe, and it makes sense given the significant styling departures from the recently refreshed 2013 Continental. Power comes from a standard twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W-12 engine now making a whopping 616 horsepower and 590 pounds-feet of torque. That's more powerful than the outgoing Flying Spur Speed model, and the automaker says it's the most powerful motor ever fitted to a Bentley sedan. That power is funneled through a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission with a 40/60 rear-biased torque split for the full-time all-wheel-drive system. It rockets the big sedan to 60 mph in just 4.3 seconds -- a 0.3 second improvement over the outgoing sedan -- and brings the Flying Spur to a top speed of 200 mph.

The sedan receives a significant refresh inside and out but still keeps traditional Bentley styling cues. The four-element headlamps and the double cockpit interior should look familiar; they join new features like the Bentley Flying B in the fender ornaments and oval-element taillamps that match the shape of the exhaust tips. The more formal profile and details such as larger outboard headlamps versus the coupe's larger inboard ones are meant to set the sedan apart from the coupe. A dizzying array of colors are available for both paint and trim, with 14 colors available for the leather interior alone and 17 exterior paint colors.

2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible: First Look

• Competes with: Rolls-Royce Ghost, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
• Looks like: The "world's fastest coupe" has some convertible company
• Drivetrain: 616-horsepower, twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W-12 and eight-speed automatic
• Hits dealerships: TBD

Bentley is claiming the title of "world’s fastest convertible" for the drop-top version of its Continental GT Speed; the convertible joins the lineup for 2013.

The British automaker is putting some impressive numbers behind its claim. Power comes from the coupe version's 616-horsepower, twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W-12 paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The coupe model's new twin-turbo V-8 isn't available on the convertible.

Bentley claims a top speed of 202 mph and a zero to 60 mph time of 4.1 seconds. A Sport mode delivers sharper throttle response and alters shift points, according to the automaker. 

Bentley EXP 9 F Concept: Photo Gallery

While Bentley still intends to make an SUV, it won’t necessarily look like this one shown at the 2012 New York auto show.

More 2012 New York Auto Show Coverage

Apparently the automaker is already working on a redesign featuring more traditional styling cues, according to What Car?, a British automobile magazine. Check out the gallery below to see if you think it needs some cosmetic surgery. It definitely needs a new name.

Bentley EXP 9 F Concept at the 2012 Geneva International Motor Show

• Looks like: Bentley is upping its calorie count big time
• Defining characteristics: It's Bentley's first SUV concept
• Ridiculous features: Pop-up picnic area complete with awning, umbrella and, of course, a champagne bucket 
• Chances of being mass-produced: Likely, though its name will change

We've heard rumors of a Bentley SUV for a while now, and it looks like the automaker is still testing the waters, this time with the EXP 9 F Concept. The SUV looks like a portlier version of the Continental, especially up front, where it wears Bentley’s large traditional matrix grille. The concept's design suggests the automaker was inspired by fighter jets, with large turbine-looking 23-inch wheels and taillights that resemble a jet engine.

Cars.com News Briefs: Feb. 24, 2012

Here's what we have our eye on today:

• Auto loan interest rates are at their lowest in at least four years, according to Bloomberg Business Week. The average interest rate for a new-vehicle loan averaged 4.52% in the fourth quarter of 2011, says Experian Automotive. Furthermore, access to credit for people with bad credit ratings is also increasing, according to the Experian study. The total amount of new-vehicle loans to people with non-prime credit increased to 23% of the market, up from less than 20% a year ago, according to the study. Delinquency on existing loans has also continued to decrease.
• Volkswagen set records with its revenue, profits and vehicle sales for 2011, according to the New York Times. The automaker sold 8.3 million vehicles last year, making it the second-largest automaker behind GM, which sold about 9 million cars, and ahead of Toyota, which sold 7.95 million. Volkswagen recorded a $15.1 billion profit before interest and taxes; the company's net profit was nearly three times more than GM's, says the New York Times. Volkswagen controls Audi, Skoda, Seat, Lamborghini and Bentley, and it is in the process of taking control of Porsche.
• U.S. auto sales are expected to reach an annual rate of 14 million for February, according to J.D. Power and Associates and Automotive News. If the projected seasonally adjusted rate comes true, that would mean four consecutive months of relatively strong vehicle sales. The robust pace has prompted analysts to adjust their year-end sales projections for 2012. LMC Automotive, which partners with J.D. Power, has upped projections to 14 million, from 13.8 million. Total U.S. sales in 2011 came in at 12.8 million.
• Steve Ratner, a former lead adviser in President Barack Obama's auto task force, lent his two cents about the resurging political controversy swirling around the auto bailouts from Republican presidential hopefuls. In an op-ed in the New York Times, Ratner says that while Mitt Romney's idea of an independent "managed bankruptcy" sounds good on paper, the reality is that his task force tried to get private financiers to back the bankruptcy, but none would touch the carmakers at the time. Ratner also rebukes charges that the bailouts were illegal, saying judges – all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Chrysler — certified their legality.

Sport-Themed Model, More Options Join Bentley Mulsanne Lineup

Bentley plans on adding to the Mulsanne family with the new Mulsanne Mulliner Driving Specification. Set to debut in Geneva next month, the new version of Bentley's flagship sedan is being billed as a sportier Mulsanne.

The Mulliner Driving Specification uses the Mulsanne's 505-horsepower, twin-turbocharged 6.75-liter V-8 but adds specific 21-inch alloy wheels, Bentley Flying B design wing vents and a new Sport setting on the driver-selectable suspension system designed to enhance grip and steering accuracy.

2013 Bentley Continental GT, GTC V-8: Photo Gallery

Early this year, Bentley will introduce two new, more "affordable," Continental trims, featuring the first V-8 powertrain for the nameplate since 2003.

More 2012 Detroit Auto Show Coverage

The new 500-horsepower, twin-turbocharged V-8, is said to be 40% more fuel efficient compared to the W-12 models.

Bentley Contemplates SUV Model

Ultra-luxury carmaker Bentley is in the final stages of deciding whether or not it will build an SUV model, company CEO Wolfgang Durheimer told Bloomberg BusinessWeek. The final decision will come within the first three months of the year.

If built, the SUV would reportedly cost more than $140,000, Durheimer said. Right now, Bentley's model lineup consists exclusively of the Continental group (which starts at about $180,000) and its Mulsanne flagship, which starts at $290,000. Durheimer said the company is also considering an extended-wheelbase variant of the Mulsanne and thinking about adding even more Continental trims.

Bentley's global sales soared in 2011, which was the carmaker's best year since 2007, according to BusinessWeek. The sales surge comes from Bentley’s expansion in emerging markets such as China, where sales doubled last year. The automaker also saw a 32% sales increase in the U.S., which is currently Bentley’s biggest market.

VW's Bentley Targets 'Robust' Growth as Wealthy Reopen Wallets (Bloomberg BusinessWeek)

New Bentley Continental GT, GTC V-8: First Look

• Competes with: Rolls-Royce Ghost, Mercedes-Benz CL-Class 
• Looks like: A "more affordable and fuel-efficient" Continental is on its way complete with sarcasm-filled quotation marks 
• Drivetrain: 500-hp, twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8; 631-hp, twin-turbocharged W-12; six-speed automatic and eight-speed automatic transmission; all-wheel drive
• Hits dealerships: Early 2012 

Bentley will introduce two new trims — one for the Continental GT coupe and one for the GTC convertible — powered by a new V-8 engine at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The new powerplant will slot underneath the W-12 engine, which also gets a power boost. This is the first V-8 powertrain offered on the Continental nameplate since 2003. The new 500-horsepower, twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 features direct injection and a cylinder deactivation system. Under the right conditions, four cylinders can deactivate on the V-8. When mated to a standard eight-speed automatic transmission, Bentley expects the powertrain to deliver a 40% improvement in fuel efficiency compared to the W-12 model, which returns 12/19/14 mpg city/highway/combined. The motor will propel the Continental GT from zero to 60 mph in less than 5 seconds, and it has a top speed of more than 180 mph.

2012 Bentley Continental GTC: First Look

• Competes with: Aston Martin DB9 Volante convertible, Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe
• Looks like: Subtle changes are well worth the wait
• Drivetrain: 567-hp, 6.0-liter W-12; six-speed automatic transmission; all-wheel drive
• Hits dealerships: Late 2011

After taking a year off, the Bentley Continental GTC is back for a second generation. Overall, the model undergoes the same aesthetic and mechanical upgrades that the Bentley Continental GT received. To read our review of that very similar model, check out Cars.com senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder’s review here.

Whereas the previous Bentley GTC aimed to look more modern — at the expense of Bentley’s storied past —  the new model isn’t shy about showing its heritage. Like the GT coupe, the redesigned GTC gets subtle exterior changes that add more definition to the body, particularly around back: The more pronounced rear fenders and the trunk’s raised crease line help invoke images of Bentleys from long ago. You can see elements of the 60-year-old Mark VI and R-Type here.

All GTCs now get 20-inch wheels standard, with three differently styled 21-inch wheels optional. (Those are a first.)