Bentley planning a five-door Continental to rival the Panamera?
Luxury carmakers are all about niches and filling them if the demand is high enough. The newest fad has been started by the Porsche Panamera, and is already followed by the likes of Aston Martin, with the Rapide.
But Bentley isn’t too far behind either, as a source has confirmed to Autocar that other body styles, besides the sedan, coupe and convertible, are being planned for the next generation Continental model.
According to the source, a five-door fastback, in the vein of the Panamera, has the biggest chances to achieve production status, seeing as how more and more people want an extra dose of practicality with their luxury.
Also, seeing as how coachbuilder Touring Superleggera experienced a great deal of popularity with the Flying Star shooting brake model (pictured above), based on the Continental, Bentley might fancy having a go at this other niche by itself. Considering that the next Mercedes-Benz CLS will also have such a version, previewed by the adequately named Shooting Break concept, Bentley might want to hurry.
Expect the next Continental to arrive around 2012, starting with a replacement for the GT coupe. It will no doubt borrow elements from the performance Supersports edition, as well as keep its four-wheel drive/12 cylinder engine combo.
Source: Autocar
Post tags: Tags: Bentley, bentley-continental, porsche panamera, shooting brake, shooting break
