Bentley unveils sports car with British styling at Geneva show

[GENEVA] Bentley unveiled a two-seat sports car, billed as a "British interpretation" of a high-performance model, as the Crewe, England-based automaker expands its offerings to boost deliveries.

Bentley revealed the EXP 10 Speed 6 last night at an event ahead of the Geneva International Motor Show. Wolfgang Duerheimer, head of the Volkswagen AG unit, said the concept car gives an idea of "where Bentley could go after the Bentayga" sport-utility vehicle goes on sale next year.

The EXP 10 Speed 6 is "the ultimate expression of our vision for Bentley's future," Duerheimer said in a statement.

"This one car showcases modern automotive design, highly skilled British handcrafting, the finest materials and advanced performance technology."

Bentley is expanding to meet VW's goal of boosting the British automaker's sales to 15,000 vehicles by 2018. The marque's global deliveries rose 9 percent to a record 11,020 cars last year. Bentley announced a 800 million-pound (US$1.22 billion), three-year investment plan in 2013.

The last prototype Bentley showed was the Bentayga three years ago in Geneva. The SUV will be the world's most expensive and marks a departure from Bentley's traditional sedans favored by the Queen of England.

Duerheimer said in January that Bentley was considering considering adding another model to the lineup after the SUV. The current product portfolio consists of sedans and coupes such as the Continental GT, the Flying Spur and Mulsanne.

Bentley parent VW, Europe's largest automaker, is making a broader push to expand in lucrative premium cars with brands including Audi, Porsche and Lamborghini.

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