Bentley previews 2016 SUV with official picture

Bentley has released a new official preview image of its forthcoming SUV. 

The image, which only shows the front of the Bentley SUV, reveals the new model will keep the firm's hallmark mesh grille with round front light clusters and traditional SUV proportions. 

Bentley's SUV will become its fourth model line, and has been described as being a "thoroughbred" Bentley, which will represent the brand's  "hallmarks of luxury, performance, quality and craftsmanship.

"It will create a completely new segment in the SUV market."

The company has claimed that when the model launches in 2016 it will become the most powerful SUV on sale. A plug-in hybrid variant of the SUV is already scheduled to launch in 2018, with an electric range of around 25 miles. Bentley recently revealed it has already received over 2000 pre-orders for the SUV model, despite no customers seeing the car. The company is aiming to sell around 3000 units of the SUV per year.

The company has already passed its first milestone with the new car, with a successful summer test of a prototype. Winter testing is scheduled to get under way at the end of this week, while the firm's production facility in Crewe is already gearing up for production. 

An extra 250 staff have already been hired to help build the new SUV, with more planned to join before production gets underway.

Company boss Wolfgang Schreiber told Autocar UK the project was "exactly on time". While pricing for the new model has yet to be revealed, company officials say the SUV will attract "a premium price as you would expect from a Bentley". Pricing the model above a high-end Range Rover, as suggested by officials, would mean an entry price of at least £125,000 (Rs 1.26 crore).

The launch of its first SUV model forms part of an £800 million (Rs 8,094 crore) investment in the firm's Crewe headquarters. Bentley plans to sell 15,000 vehicles per year by 2018.