Bentley previews ‘The Future of Luxury’ concept pod

Bentley Future of Luxury

Bentley has revealed its latest concept, titled ‘The Future of Luxury,’ which serves as an imagining of what the interior of its luxury sedans might look like in the year 2036. The concept is the work of Bentley’s 50-man design team led by Stefan Sielaff, who joined the company as director of design last July.

A combination of autonomous driving technology, top-class materials and advanced technology, the concept is a testament to what Sielaff refers to as a “fusion of extremes,” according to a report by Autocar UK. On one end, you’ll find Bentley’s sport and high-performance models, while the other is all about the luxury. No prizes for guessing which corner this concept belong to.

Based on the image, the concept’s roofline is clearly raked towards the left side, and doesn’t appear to leave a lot of room for a human-sized driver. Furthermore, there doesn’t appear to be a steering wheel, driver’s seat, gear selector or even pedals. Not a deterrent for Bentley, as a majority of its owners already use chauffeurs, so a fully autonomous vehicle to replace the human being makes plenty of sense here. They still get driven around, no?

Bentley Mulsanne Grand Limousine 4

However, the focus of the concept is not on the driving, but the interior itself. As you can tell, Bentley has channelled its knowledge of creating cars with face-to-face seating, and upped the ante. Instead of four-separate seats like in the Mulsanne Grand Limousine (pictured above and below), the British marque installed two sofa-like seats with a table between them. No seatbelts here.

The traditional wood panels also appear to have information screens ‘sprayed’ on them. The screens are said to be just 0.5 mm-thick (about as thick as a piece of paper), and capable of playing hi-res video, according to Sielaff in an interview with Evo UK. The screens can also be flexed and positioned over virtually any material.

That’s not the only party trick for this concept either. The concept features a virtual butler that is projected on the table, in a sort of a R2D2-Princess Leia manner. According to Bentley, the holographic butler represents “somebody you can talk to, it’s not just a machine.” It is also the primary interface with the vehicle, with other apparitions available.

Bentley Mulsanne Grand Limousine 1

Aside from the fancy tech, Bentley is looking to implement ever more exotic/expensive materials into its interior. Having introduced stone veneer into its Mulliner, other materials like protein leathers and textiles are being researched into. In addition, 3D printing will have an important role to overcome the problem of creating detailed, complex components that would not be able to be made via milling or casting.

In the same report by Autocar UK, it is revealed that Bentley’s design team is also in the process of reinvigorating its iconic ‘Flying B’ grille symbol and ‘Winged B’ badge. “They are part of the corporate identity so we have to be very careful how we refine them,” said Sielaff, who added that OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) technology is set to feature in the lights of future models.

With all the emphasis on gadgetry, luxury and craftsmanship, the most conventional thing seen in the concept is undoubtedly the suit carrier but that’s certainly not a deal breaker here. What do you think of the Bentley ‘Future of Luxury’ concept? Is this an idea that British brand should explore?

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Gerard Lye

Originating from the corporate world with a background in finance and economics, Gerard’s strong love for cars led him to take the plunge into the automotive media industry. It was only then did he realise that there are more things to a car than just horsepower count.

 

Comments

  • How to fix a safety belt on the sofa. I wonder

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • why future?
    Can’t they do it now?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Jimmy on Mar 17, 2016 at 10:24 pm

    1. 1st picture shows true luxury
    2. 2nd picture does not understand that, unless it is a family saloon, otherwise, many rich people don’t like other people to touch their legs.
    3. With a leg room like the 2nd picture, good adjustable seat heights are needed.
    3. Luxury comes with silence. Try not to buy a supercondo worth rm6 million if the community contains low cost condos each worth rm888k only. Luxury bungalows must be located in high class area; not to mix with low class houses.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • Jimmy on Mar 17, 2016 at 10:29 pm

    Craftmanship and silence is more important than autonomous driving, which to me is dangerous, endangering my life; a good safe skillful driver is more important. A few k per month can get a good one.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

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