Bentley’s bosses don’t like their new EXP 15 concept car being compared to ‘that’ Jaguar. When I ask the question, CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser remarks, part-jokingly, part-rattled ‘Jaguar who?’

The Bentley EXP 15 and Jaguar Type 00 are ultimately both the result of a need to adapt to suit the younger customers now buying luxury cars, and especially those in growing Asian markets.

The EXP 15 has been created by a team led by Bentley’s new design director Robin Page, who returned to Crewe in September 2023 after a 10-year stint at Volvo, where he was instrumental in transforming the Swedish brand’s image with cars including the XC40.

The challenge for Bentley has got tougher since Page was last there. The Bentayga still sells well, and though the latest fourth-generation Continental GT undoubtedly looks the part, visually the differences between the old and new car are minor. Current thinking is that such conservatism isn’t enough in this day and age.

Bentley says the EXP 15 ‘provides clues’ to its first electric car, a ‘luxury urban SUV’. It’s worth noting Bentley’s definition of ‘urban’ is a car less than five metres in length, so don’t expect an Aston Martin Cygnet type of car. Originally planned to launch in 2025, the unveiling of this EV in its completed form has been pushed back until 2026, and deliveries won’t start until 2027.

Confusingly, Bentley has already shown the silhouette of the production EV, and it’s entirely different to the EXP 15. The EXP 15’s almost fastback lines are more of a look at what a future higher-riding Bentley saloon car could look like. There’s certainly an opportunity, as the Mulsanne is long gone, and the current saloon, the Flying Spur, doesn’t sell well outside China and the US, leaving a void for a true Bentley flagship.

‘It’s interesting as the saloon is the vehicle type that is changing the most, and the customer expectation is changing,’ says Page.

‘So that’s why we’re playing with this elevated car. From that [seeing what customers think of the car] we will work out the future of Bentley in the saloon market.’ So, really, this concept is more of a preview of the next but one new production Bentley.

‘The whole SUV market took off because of this elevated presence, this higher seating position, this statement of importance and confidence on the road, but we’ve never explored this on the sedan market – they have always remained low,’ says Page.

The most controversial element of the EXP 15 is its grille. Bentleys are hardly shrinking violets, but that slab of illuminated metal is far and away the biggest talking point here. Though EVs offer the possibility, Page says it was never an option to do away with a grille. He’s well aware of the divisive nature of the end result.

‘Customers want us to be progressive. They all want us to have the coolest product. I would prefer people to say we are too progressive. I want to be bold enough for that.’

Unlike Jaguar’s Type 00, which signals a complete reinvention, Bentley is building on its past for the EXP 15, drawing inspiration from one of its most famed cars, the Blue Train, named after an overnight express train running from Cannes to Calais. In 1930, ‘Bentley boy’ Woolf Barnato raced against it and the legend has it that his car arrived at London’s Conservative Club before the train even reached Calais.

The exterior links between the Blue Train and the new concept are tenuous: long bonnet, higher seating position, sloped roofline. But inside they both have a three-seat layout. Nope, not three across like a van, or one slightly in front like a McLaren F1, but a flexible seating arrangement that means the front passenger can sit alongside the driver or beside a passenger in the rear.

If it initially seems a daft idea, it makes sense when you start spotting the number of chauffeur-driven Mercedes S-Classes driving around London with the front passenger seat slung as far forward as possible to maximise room in the back.

‘This seating layout is also very interesting for China,’ says Page. ‘Customers there love this self indulgence. Whether it’s entertaining a guest or special client, they like to offer amazing experiences.’

The sliding seat swivels by 45º to make it easier to get in and out, while a section of the roof also opens slightly for the same purpose.

Page is tight-lipped about the elements that will make their way onto its next generation of cars, and is clear this is a ‘vision car designed to show the design principles of future products’ rather than a thinly disguised production car.

One feature that definitely will be appearing on Bentley’s next cars is its new logo, only the fourth time it’s been revised in the company’s 106-year history. Adopting more angular wings, it also loses the feathers below the ‘B’. Internally it’s described as changing from the outline of a barn owl to a peregrine falcon.

Another element of the EXP 15 that’s expected to follow onto future Bentleys is its blend of screens and physical switchgear. Bentley calls it a digital detox and it’s something the Continental GT already does very well with its rotating display, able to change from touchscreen to dials to a decorative panel.

It’s not hard to envisage the EXP 15’s dashboard on a future Bentley without too many changes. Behind the glass screen is a clock-like mechanical arm that can work as a compass and state-of-charge indicator, among other things. The screens can also be turned off entirely to leave a wood veneer beneath the glass.

Page reckons cars are becoming overladen with technology, and thinks a detox can set Bentleys apart from luxury rivals. Even further up the price ladder, Bugatti is aiming for similar with its Tourbillon hypercar.

‘We think people are going to get fed up with a fully digital experience and are pining for physical mechanical elements too. Offering a mixed experience [of digital tech and physical switchgear] is expensive; not every brand can do that,’ says Page.

‘But by combining the two, you get the best of both worlds. It’s almost like wearing a beautiful mechanical watch on one wrist and a digital watch on the other.’

As for those similarities to a certain Jaguar, the design director is clear they are a ‘very different size of car’, with the Type 00 being slightly longer and lower than the EXP 15, which is almost as tall as many SUVs.

‘We’ve seen all the way through the automotive design journeys that there is always a level of trends going on at the time, but for us we’ve got a great car to reference in terms of our iconic Blue Train. The proportions and the size of the EXP 15 are completely different to the Jaguar, but of course we’re all going for that modern design that’s attractive to the next generation.’