Bentley Mulliner Batur Previews The Electric Future Of The Brand

For the first time in a long time, Bentley's cars are going to look a bit different. The new Bentley Mulliner Batur coupe makes its debut in Monterey, California, this week, and it previews what all models will look like moving forward.

The Batur bucks the now-former Bentley design language in a few ways. The split rounded headlights are gone and this coupe has sleek triple-beam light fixtures with LED accents that jut out toward the front fenders. The new grille is evolutionary with aggressive bumper detailing below it, unique 22-inch wheels sit within the wheel wells, and the taillights are even slimmer than before.

The Batur was created by Director Of Design Andreas Mindt and his team at Bentley. Mindt joined Bentley in 2021 after 25 years elsewhere within the Volkswagen Group working with brands like VW and Audi; you may remember Mindt as the designer behind the electric Audi E-Tron.

Similar to the E-Tron, the Mulliner Batur will guide Bentley's styling as the automaker transitions into EV production as part of its "Beyond100" strategy. Bentley hopes to be fully electric by 2030, but the Mulliner Batur itself isn't electric.

Bentley's ubiquitous twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W12 engine lives underhood, tuned here to produce a whopping 710 horsepower (544 kilowatts) and 738 pound-feet (1,000 newton-meters) of torque. This is the most powerful car the company has ever built, and it rides atop an advanced air suspension that adds electric active anti-roll, an electronic limited-slip differential, and four-wheel steering.

The Batur's interior isn't as dramatically different as the exterior. Inspired by last year's Bacalar, the cabin maintains its Bentley-esque identity with updated materials tailored to each customer's preferred style – all done with the environment in mind, of course.

Three choices of sustainable materials are available inside of the Batur: Scottish and Italian leather as well as Dinamica faux suede. The carpets are made out of recycled yarn, a first for the company. And instead of carbon fiber, Bentley uses a natural fiber composite that it says is more sustainably sourced. For those looking to go all out, Bentley even offers specific 3D-printed components in 18-karat gold.

Bentley will only build 18 examples of the Mulliner Batur at a steep price tag of £1.65 million (about $2.0 million USD at current conversion rates), and as you might have guessed, each one is already accounted for. Production begins early in 2023 after final testing is complete with the first few examples expected to reach customers later the same year.