The Bentley of 2050

What might the Bentley of the future look like? What Bentley features would such designs have? This is exactly what the luxury automaker asked of students at the Royal College of Art in London. Bentley Design Director Stefan Sielaff is an alumnus of the Automotive Design program there, so it was important for him to get a sense of what tomorrow’s designers are brewing up.

Bentley Design of the Future

The students were urged to think of radical designs that may even use features that are either still in testing or haven’t even been dreamed up yet. The results were telling about just how much luxury car design may change in the next 30+ years. Four responses were chosen from the 24 submitted: “Luxury Soundscapes” by Irene Chiu, “Elegant Autonomy” by Enuji Choi, “Material Humanity” by Kate NamGoong, and “Stratospheric Grand Touring” by Jack Watson.

Changing and Challenging Norms

NamGoong suggested in hers that in an increasingly automated and all-electric driving world, luxury itself will actually be the choice to drive and use an internal combustion engine. This seems realistic. All-electric options are finally beginning to meet the IC engine when it comes to power and performance, so in 30 years, gas engines might be a luxury Bentley feature only enjoyed by wealthy aficionados and collectors.

Luxury as Performance

All the designs consider what luxury is in the future. Bentley features already include incredible sound systems, drive modes, and driver assist features. When cars are able to drive themselves, however, luxury may become an even greater focus. The driving experience will be replaced with the experience of being driven, which opens the doors up to vehicles that improve health and well-being. Travel experiences may focus on exceptional relaxation and cars may be built around entertainment options first.

Bentley Features…Flying?

Will Bentleys go into the stratosphere? This is what Watson’s model suggests, as a way of business travel and tourism. Perhaps the vehicles of the future are as much plane as car. It may seem far-fetched but today’s Bentley design and features would have been inconceivable to designers 30 years ago…except perhaps to the students of that time who have become the designers of the impossible.