4 Minutes
CGI revives the Bentayga — but is it what buyers want?
Bentley remains busy with special editions, anniversaries and product teases, yet the Bentayga — the brand's volume flagship since 2015 — is showing its age. After a 2020 update and a mid-cycle refresh in 2022, the big luxury SUV continues to sell well in a crowded ultra-luxury segment. Still, designers and fans are already imagining what a 2026 Bentayga could look like. Digital artist Nikita Chuicko, known online as kelsonik, has produced a fresh CGI take that imagines a second facelift rather than a full new-generation model.
What the CGI concept changes
The kelsonik render keeps the Bentayga's familiar proportions but modernizes details to match Bentley's latest family cues. Highlights include:
- A larger, more dominant radiator grille with an integrated Bentley emblem
- Slim LED headlights and DRLs lifted from the fourth-generation Continental GT/GTC
- Redesigned front bumper with pronounced lower and side vents
- Bigger wheel options for a more athletic profile
- Slimmer taillights and a revised liftgate featuring a 3D Bentley crest
These tweaks create a cleaner, more contemporary face while keeping the Bentayga's unmistakable presence. The CGI approach makes the SUV better aligned with recent Bentley design language without altering the platform or proportions.
Performance lineup and market positioning
Bentley today is balancing combustion-engine demand with a gradual shift to electrification. The Bentayga Speed remains the headline performer in the range, powered by a twin-turbo V8 producing around 641 hp (approximately 650 ps in other markets), marginally outpacing the brand’s long-serving 6.0-liter W12 in certain outputs. Meanwhile, Continental GT and Flying Spur hybrids push power into the 600s and 700s of horsepower (rumored 671 hp for the high-performance hybrid and up to 771 hp for ultra versions), albeit with higher curb weights.
That weight-versus-performance trade-off has reportedly encouraged Bentley to consider V8-focused performance variants like a V8-only Continental Supersport. For the Bentayga, a second mid-cycle refresh could be the brand's pragmatic answer: fresh styling, subtle cabin tweaks and technology updates to keep the model competitive while development continues on an eventual next-generation, possibly electrified, SUV.
How this fits into the ultra-luxury SUV race
Competitors — Ferrari Purosangue, Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II, Aston Martin DBX S — have all refreshed or reimagined their entries, raising expectations for updated lighting, grille design and interior tech. A CGI facelift like kelsonik's would help the Bentayga stay visually current without incurring the cost and lead time of a full redevelopment.
Quote: 'A refreshed face can buy time and keep showroom appeal high, especially while Bentley navigates ICE demand and electrification,' says one industry analyst.
Takeaways
- The CGI concept is plausible: subtle, brand-consistent and tasteful.
- Bentley could choose another mid-cycle facelift to maintain sales momentum.
- Long-term, a new generation — likely with hybrid or electrified options — remains the strategic direction.
Whether Bentley should push a second facelift or accelerate a full replatform depends on market appetite and regulatory pressures. For now, renders like kelsonik's show that small design moves can refresh desirability and keep the Bentayga competitive in the ultra-luxury SUV market.
Source: autoevolution
Leave a Comment