Toyota Land Cruiser or Lexus hybrids not to your taste? 2022 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid and Flying Spur Hybrid confirmed for Australia as high-end fuel sippers

Bentley Australia has confirmed that it will start bringing in electrified models next, starting with its Bentayga SUV in early 2022 and then followed by the Flying Spur sedan.

Though the Bentayga Hybrid was first revealed at the 2018 Geneva motor show, the electrified SUV will begin hitting local showrooms next year after the facelifted V8 and Speed, available now and later this year respectively.

The Bentayga Hybrid is powered by a 3.0-litre turbocharged petrol V6 and electric motor combination, outputting a total of 330kW/700Nm.

Read More About Bentley Bentayga

2021 Bentley Bentayga pricing and specs detailed: Updated Aston Martin DBX, Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 and Range Rover rival arrives to out-lux competitors The cheapest way to get a Bentley on your driveway Bentley Flying Spur First Edition 2020 revealed

This places it below the 404kW/770Nm 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 and 447kW/900Nm 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12-powered Speed, but will return a much more palatable fuel consumption figure of around 3.5 litres per 100km.

Also fitted with a 17.3kWh lithium-ion battery, the Bentayga Hybrid can travel up to 51km before need a recharge.

Pricing for the Bentayga Hybrid is currently unknown, but given it shares the same underpinnings and similar powertrain as the Porsche Cayenne, the electrificed SUV could be the new point of entry to the model line-up.

For reference, the Cayenne E-Hybrid starts at $148,000 before on-road costs, while the cheapest V8-powered variant, the GTS, wears a $198,300 pricetag.

The 2021 Bentayga range currently opens at $364,800 for the V8, and runs up to $501,800 for the Speed.

Meanwhile, details of the Flying Spur Hybrid are yet to be revealed, but given its close relation to the Porsche Panamera, we can make some educated guesses.

The Panamera is available with three electrified powertrains, the E-Hybrid and S E-Hybrid that use a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6, and the Turbo S E-Hybrid with a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8.

The E-Hybrid produces 340kW, the S E-Hybrid ups the ante to 412kW, while the Turbo S E-Hybrid punches out 515kW thanks to the use of a 100kW electric motor.

Battery size is pegged at 17.9kWh which allows for an emissions-free driving range of around 54km.

The current Flying Spur range starts at $428,800 for the 404kW/770Nm V8 and extends to $488,000 for the 467kW/900Nm W12, so depending on which electrified power Bentley opts for, the Flying Spur Hybrid could be the cheapest in the large luxury limousine’s line-up.

Speaking to CarsGuide, Bentley Australia and New Zealand boss David Simpson said plans are already in place to get the brand’s three outlets ready for the arrival of the first hybrid models.

“We’ll have a Flying Spur Hybrid … that will be the next car that we have in Australia with a hybrid engine, and then Bentayga Hybrid will follow that,” he said.

“We’re still working on the exact timings of that, but we’re getting the network of dealers ready for hybrid.”