Design Review: Bentley EXP 15 Concept

Bentley’s EXP 15 Concept is not just a design study. It is a decisive statement about the brand’s future. Unveiled at the newly established Pyms Lane studio in Crewe, this vehicle sets the tone for Bentley’s upcoming electric era. With its first fully electric production car arriving in 2026, Bentley is not transitioning. It is transforming.

The EXP 15 is a physical reflection of the brand’s evolving philosophy. It honors its heritage but rejects nostalgia. At NIWWRD, we believe design must engage with context. It must provoke reflection while staying deeply connected to cultural and material relevance. Bentley is finally asking the right questions.

Exterior Design: A Sculptural Shift from Heritage to Futurism

The EXP 15’s silhouette redefines typology. It sits high like an SUV, flows like a GT, and closes like a saloon. It is confident, monolithic, and clean.

The body is wrapped in Pallas Gold satin paint embedded with micro aluminum pigments. Sensors are hidden beneath the surface, keeping the skin uninterrupted. Function and form are no longer separate. They are integrated.

The grille is not a grille. It is a digital sculpture. A lit matrix of diamonds that breathes and pulses with life. The front is flanked by vertical LED blades that replace Bentley’s iconic round lamps. This is not about refinement. This is about redefinition.

The three-door layout is intentional. One long door for the driver. Two coach-style rear doors on the opposite side. The experience of entry becomes architectural. Bentley is creating rituals, not just vehicles.

This is what NIWWRD calls emotionally charged minimalism. Design that carries weight, purpose, and presence.

Interior: British Craft Meets Conceptual Brilliance

The cabin is not a cockpit. It is a lounge. A place for stillness, movement, and reflection. Bentley chooses to slow down time through spatial design.

The layout is 1+2. A fixed driver’s seat, a swiveling rear passenger seat with co-pilot and recline modes, and a flexible front bay. That bay can hold luggage. Or a dog. Because luxury today is defined by choice, not conformity.

The dashboard is a phygital blend of analog and digital. A mechanical timepiece emerges from the center, wrapped in transparent OLEDs. Screens disappear. Surfaces reveal hand-laid wood and stitched wool when inactive. This is not user interface design. This is interface as craft.

Materials matter. 100% British wool by Fox Brothers. Hand-woven silk jacquard. 3D-printed titanium. Quilted illuminated veneers. Every layer of the interior is tactile, intimate, and curated.

The rear opens not into a trunk, but into a champagne suite. Fold-out seating. Ambient lighting. An integrated cooler. Bentley is not designing compartments. It is designing experiences.

At NIWWRD, we call this tactile technology with intent. Technology that does not dominate. It enhances.

Powertrain and Platform: Silent Yet Strong

While Bentley has not revealed technical specifications, the EXP 15 rides on the brand’s upcoming ultra-flexible electric architecture, expected to underpin their first production EV in 2026. This architecture will:

• Offer over 480 km (300 miles) of real-world range.

• Feature dual-motor AWD for performance and control.

• Enable next-gen torque vectoring and drive-by-wire capabilities.

Bentley confirms the EXP 15 is not a production car, but the design, UX philosophy, and proportions will influence their upcoming EV range.

Design Evolution: How EXP 15 Compares to Past Bentley Concepts

Concept	Year	Key Traits	Comparison to EXP 15
EXP 10 Speed 6	2015	Coupe, ICE/hybrid, traditional face	Sleek and traditional; EXP 15 is bolder, taller, digital-heavy
EXP 12 Speed 6e	2017	Electric roadster, copper trim	Focused on elegance, not space; EXP 15 is more sculptural and utility-driven
EXP 100 GT	2019	Autonomous GT, butterfly doors, AI cabin	More futuristic, experimental; EXP 15 is grounded and closer to real-world use
EXP 9 F	2012	SUV preview, upright, W12-powered	EXP 15 inherits its stance but modernizes it into a high-riding fastback EV

Voices That Matter — What They’re Saying

“Bentley is finally designing for how luxury will be lived in the next decade—not just how it looks.”— Wallpaper Magazine

“SUVs are simple, sports cars are simple, convertibles are simple. This is difficult,” Bentley CEO Frank Walliser

“Some customers want a classic sedan, others want height and access. EXP 15 explores both.”— Robin Page, Design Director, Bentley

“It’s radical, it’s real, and for the first time, it feels like Bentley is okay breaking its own rules.”— Tim Pollard, CAR Magazine

A New Language, Or a New Brand?

At NIWWRD, we don’t celebrate design just for how it looks. We ask how it feels. How it functions. And how it impacts the human experience.

The Bentley EXP 15 is not a tribute to the past. It is a design that speaks to the now and prepares us for what’s next.

But the real question still lingers.

Is this the Bentley design language we were once so fond of?

The answer is no. But maybe it doesn’t need to be. What EXP 15 gives us is not the same emotion—but a new one. One built on restraint, clarity, and silent presence.

It is no longer about horsepower or heritage. It is about presence and progress.

And in that, the EXP 15 succeeds.