The next version of Bentley Continental GT will be launched with a hybrid powertrain and undersea speed record
Bentley has announced a date for the reveal of the next Bentley Continental GT: June 25, 2024. The car will be revealed at 4pm on that day in high-performance Speed form, and it’ll debut with a rather unusual speed record to its name. More on that in a moment.
The new Bentley Continental GT will use its the brand’s new ‘Ultra Performance Hybrid” powertrain with 575kW (771bhp) and 1000Nm of torque, derived from a V8 petrol engine and electric motors. It has also confirmed an 80km (50-mile) range on electric power alone, and CO2 emissions of less than 50g/km on the WLTP combined cycle – down from 311g/km in the old W12-powered GT Speed.
The new model will also feature active all-wheel drive with torque vectoring tech, an electronic limited-slip differential and an electronic anti-roll suspension system. Bentley has promised impressive handling from new dual-valve dampers, too.
Also to be announced on June 25 is a new underwater speed record. Yep: the Continental GT Speed has hit its 335km/h (208mph) top speed in the Ryfylke Tunnel in Norway, the longest undersea tunnel in the world. We can expect to see a video of the record on that day.
With almost 100,000 Continental GTs built in Crewe over the past 20 years, the new model has big shoes to fill as the company’s second best-selling car after the Bentayga. We’ve seen it testing before, and in official preview images from Bentley that gave us our best look yet at the new Continental GT’s design.
These images show the refreshed 2025 Bentley Continental GT still under camouflage, but with some new details revealed. The overall proportions are similar to before, but up front we can see a sleeker headlight design that looks similar to the new Batur’s. The front bumper also looks unchanged from before, suggesting no extra cooling will be needed for the hybrid V8.
Along the side of the 2025 Bentley Continental GT, there’s no longer a B-shaped vent behind the front wheel. Instead, the surfacing of that area has been styled in a way to merely mimic the B-shape.
We can also see a new set of alloy wheels, and at the rear there’s a new light shape that is thinner than before, along with a new bumper and a different style of dual exhaust tips.
We’ve yet to see inside the new Bentley Continental GT, but we should find the same focus on luxury, with expensive materials used throughout and perhaps an update to its infotainment – although the rotating screen in the middle of the dash should be carried over given that it was such a statement feature on the outgoing car.
Sam Naylor & Auto Daily