As the latest and greatest trends, ecology and autonomy have taken the automotive world by storm in recent years. Autonomous driving as a mean of enhancing the car-owning experience and sustainability as a greater step towards environmentally friendly industry are omnipresent throughout the whole vertical structure of the industry, starting from affordable transportation all the way to the world’s most superior marques. That is why Bentley’s latest grand tourer named EXP 100 GT is no exception, as it showcases the future face of affluent motoring.
By envisioning the EXP 100 GT, Bentley aims to reinvent the way we will think of luxury in very near future. The splendour of tomorrow will not be about excess. Rather than that, it will feature a carefully curated selection of recycled natural materials that leave zero footprint on the planet. Beautifully styled, it embraces Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a means to reassert the car as a place for creating, experiencing and capturing extraordinary human experiences and emotions.
Luxury Beyond Mobility
The looks of this imposing grand touring coupé are deeply enrooted into Bentley’s rich heritage. However, the silhouette offers a glimpse into the future without any doubt. The EXP 100 GT is thus a futuristic reinterpretation of the iconic Continental Type-R with hints from the legendary Blower visible on its front end. Being 2.4 metres wide and 5.8 metres long, this tourer is by all means a striking car. However, taking a closer look into details is what really makes it impressive.
Its shell is constructed in carbon fibre and lightweight aluminium with copper decorative details as a nod to Bentleys of the yesteryear. The doors open both outwards and upwards and are 2 metres long, making every entry and exit a statement. In the very best Bentley tradition, its silhouette is sleek and muscular at the same time, making this car instantly recognizable as a car from the Flying B family.
As the first step towards sustainability, the finish of the EXP 100 GT is a very special shade of green. The sustainable and environmentally friendly Compass colour is created using a Colourstream pigment synthetically made using rice husk ash. This bi-product of the rice industry has been remanufactured for the Bentley EXP 100 GT to become a shade that perfectly suits the car’s silhouette and its beautiful spectrum of autumnal colours inside and out.
Exterior lighting plays a major role in EXP 100 GT’s dramatic charms. The Flying B mascot and smart, illuminated matrix grille come to life as one approaches the car, with light dancing across the dramatic grille, through the iconic mascot and along the long bonnet central spine of the car and into the cabin. The car literally comes alive. Ample use of glass surfaces enables the occupants to experience another side of the EXP 100 GT, the one that connects it with nature around it.
The impeccable craftmanship and attention to detail transposes to the cabin of the EXP 100 GT as well. Traditional natural materials such as wood and glass are intertwined with sustainable technology of the future in a handcrafted interior that is a perfect environment for the passengers.
The exquisite natural materials flow throughout the handcrafted cabin of the car, seamlessly blending into each other. Glass flows into metal, into wood and into leather. The sustainable textiles and leather complement the pattern of the wood grain, allowing an overall design motif to flow across all these surfaces, reconnecting passengers with the authentic, natural world around them.
It’s important to stress that all the natural materials in the EXP 100 GT are sustainable and environmentally friendly. For example, the remarkable copper Infused Riverwood is a sustainable wood from naturally fallen trees that has been preserved for 5,000 years in peat bogs, lakes and rivers. It has been sourced from The Fenland Black Oak Project, a British organisation set up to preserve this material for future generations. Next, the door panels are crafted by Hand and Lock, the London-based embroidery company that employs traditional techniques that date back to 1767.
Inside a luxurious cockpit, Bentley craftspeople have taken handcraftsmanship of materials to an as yet unseen level, setting the new benchmark for luxury interiors. Bridge of Weir Leather of Scotland works with specifically selected, locally sourced hides for Bentley to create a soft, natural leather enhanced by its environment. With the ultimate Super Natural finish, this will be Bentley’s benchmark for future luxury alternative materials. Finally, in an exclusive collaboration, Bentley has used the by-products of wine-making to create the future of luxury eco-materials, creating a leather-like seating material which is 100 per cent bio-based and revolutionary in top tier car industry.
As the Bentley EXP 100 GT is a vision for year 2034, its smart powertrain is fully electric in a path towards zero emission future of motoring. The dense battery pack enables a range of 435 miles with charging as fast as 15 minutes. The weight of Bentley’s visionary car is kept under 1,900kg and it promises remarkable performance with 1500 Nm of torque, 0-60 acceleration in 2.5 seconds and the top speed of 186.6 MPH.
Enhancing the occupants’ experience of their extraordinary journey in the Bentley EXP 100 GT is the Bentley Personal Assistant AI. This advanced, intelligent system defines the Grand Tourer of the future as it delivers a highly personalised experience to the passenger based on five distinct modes with individual characteristics: Enhance, Cocoon, Capture, Re-Live and Customise. Interaction with the AI is made through hand gestures made to the front or rear Cumbria Crystal interfaces that intuitively interpret the commands.
Enhance harvests inputs from the outside environment, such as light, sound, smell and air quality, offering a holistic grand tour, and a feeling of open top motoring from under the glass canopy.
Cocoon creates a protective space, including air purification and glass areas that turn opaque for privacy; while
Capture records experiences from both inside and outside the car which become part of your car’s unique history.
Re-Live replays highlights of your Grand Tour, while
Customise combines elements of all the different modes and are individually selected by the driver or passenger.
Next, Adaptable Biometric Seating uses the Bentley Personal Assistant data to tailor and deliver unmatched comfort during every ride. The seats can be positioned in three ways depending on whether the car is being personally driven or autonomous, while the active component of the seating senses the occupants’ needs and responds to offer additional support when necessary. In addition, biometrics are embedded throughout the Bentley EXP 100 GT to track eye and head movements, even blood pressure. It represents the future of customised, in-car comfort far beyond any seating experienced in a modern-day car.
Sustainable Innovation – The Future of Bentley
Bentley believes its approach to innovation is created through a balance: Preservation of the world and the self should be at the forefront, while purposeful and intuitive innovation remains essentially linked to sustainability.
The Bentley EXP 100 GT features air and sound curation that promotes self-care and well-being in the car. These create a physiological, health-enhancing environment for passengers, promoting increased mindfulness in the cabin.
For example, Capture mode on Bentley Personal Assistant brings the external environment into the cabin, creating an open-top driving experience without taking the roof down. It also cocoons passengers – blocking and filtering air pollution in cities.
The Bentley EXP 100 GT has passive and active air intakes in the front grille, cooling the drivetrain and batteries that drive the car’s powerful electric motors. Unwanted air is channelled out of the car at the rear to aid aerodynamics.
The Air Purification System is located in the boot space to purify air before it is supplied into the cabin, with deployable air vents on the rear passenger shelf and static vents on the front passenger panel. The air vents undulate giving the appearance that the car is breathing and alive. Meanwhile, CO2 levels in the cabin are constantly monitored to maintain air quality.
As well as capturing exterior scents, Bentley has developed a unique scent for the Bentley EXP 100 GT. Created in collaboration with ethically-aware fragrance house 12.29, it builds on the rich heritage of Bentley, incorporating sandalwood and fresh moss.
The Bentley EXP 100 GT also puts passengers in control of how they disconnect and reflect, enhancing mindfulness by allowing occupants to live in the present. As screen-time become ever more present, these disconnecting, relaxing experiences have gained luxury status.
Rotary switches fashioned from copper and aluminium add tactility in a digital world.
The in-car displays enhance the grand tour experience using augmented reality, or can provide a relaxed cocoon on demand. All displays use a simple, intuitive interface that includes transparent OLED information displays in the doors, automatically darkening glass, and a front entertainment screen for displaying films, live video and other media when the Bentley EXP 100 GT is in autonomous driving mode.
Thanks to the EXP 100 GT, Bentley has taken huge steps towards designing the ultimate luxurious grand tourer for the future. With that in mind, the future of Bentley will be intelligent, green and sustainable, with a next-level approach to comfort and a redefined way of experiencing epic journeys.
