Bentley to Cease the Production of W12 Engine in April 2024

Bentley has announced that production of its iconic W12 petrol engine will end in April 2024. For the limited-edition Bentley Batur, the brand created the most powerful version of the engine. Production of the twin-turbocharged unit will end in April 2024, with the British company now focusing on its 'Beyond100' strategy, which calls for all of its models to be electrified by 2030. More than a million W12 models will have been handcrafted in the company's plant in Crewe, England, by the time production is halted. The final 6.0-litre W12 engine being developed by Bentley is the most potent it has ever been. Around 18 Mulliner-built Batur coupés will be powered by this unit, which features updated cooling, intake, and exhaust systems. The engine also gets a new transmission calibration, new ducts that are 33 per cent bigger than the old ones, and a redesigned turbocharger compressor. These updates have allowed the engine to produce 740bhp of maximum power and 1,000Nm of peak torque.

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The Batur is already completely sold out, but W12-powered Speed versions of the Continental GT coupe, the convertible, Bentayga SUV, and the Flying Spur limousine are still available to order. The company anticipates that orders for the W12-powered Continental and Flying Spur will run out in December of this year. It didn't say how many units were left, though. Commenting on this development, Adrian Hallmark, Chairman, Bentley, said, “When we first launched the W12 back in 2003, we knew we had a mighty engine that would propel both our cars and brand forwards at speed.”

"Twenty years and more than 1,00,000 W12s later, the time has come to retire this now-iconic powertrain as we take strides towards electrification,” he further added.

The Audi A8 was the first production vehicle to have a W12 installed, and Bentley unveiled a twin-turbocharged model in 2003. Prior to being completely overhauled for the 2015 debut of the Bentley Bentayga, it first powered the Continental GT and the Flying Spur. Elaborating on the company's future plans, the manufacturer confirmed that in order to concentrate on its hybrid powertrains, including the potential debut of a more potent plug-in hybrid system, it will retain thirty engineers who worked on the W12 on staff.

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Each W12 engine is hand-built over the course of 6.5 hours. Before its 20th anniversary this year, the W12 engine facility will have delivered over 105,000 engines.