Bentley to stop making W12 petrol engines in move to electric

Production of Bentley's famed 12-cylinder petrol engine will end in April next year, the luxury car maker has said.

Over the past 20 years, more than 100,000 W12 engines have been built at the company’s factory in Crewe, Cheshire.

The decision to halt production is part of its move to electric cars.

“Our progressive journey towards sustainable luxury mobility means making changes to every area of Bentley Motors," chairman and chief executive Adrian Hallmark said.

“When we first launched the W12 back in 2003, we knew we had a mighty engine that would propel both our cars and the brand forwards at speed.

“Twenty years and more than 100,000 W12s later, the time has come to retire this now iconic powertrain as we take strides towards electrification.”

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Ryan Hughes, joint owner of RMA Motors, says he sells about 5-10 Bentley and Rolls-Royce cars a year. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The Lamborghini Urus Performante. Lamborghini is planning a hybrid version of each of its models by 2024. Bloomberg

The six-wheeled Rolls-Royce Phantom features a 3,570mm wheelbase, and 5,834mm overall length. EPA

Colourful interior of the Rolls-Royce Ghost. Photo: Rolls-Royce

The custom Rolls-Royce Phantom 6x6, created by French artist Danton Alexandre. AFP

The Bentley Mulliner is a sleek bespoke coupe that costs nearly $2 million – only 18 will be produced. EPA

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Dubai Police are well known for their fleet of luxury patrol cars, including a Bentley Continental GT Coupe. Sarah Dea / The National

With a starting price of about $313,000 the Rolls-Royce Ghost competes with well-known competitors such as the Porsche Panamera. Photo: Wassim Raslan

Jim Holder, editorial director of magazine What Car?, described the W12 as “an icon of combustion engines, famed for its power, smoothness, refinement and more”.

“It should be remembered as one example of the peak of what can be achieved technically with combustion engines," Holder said.

“But Bentley and its customers are acknowledging that we are entering a new environmentally conscious era, where outright performance and luxury can still be attained, but in a less consumptive manner.”

Bentley said it hoped to “retrain and redeploy” the 30 workers involved in assembling and testing W12s.

Bentley Mulliner Batur - in pictures

All of Bentley’s models will be available with the option of a hybrid powertrain when production of the petrol engine is stopped.

The company has pledged that all of its cars will be fully electric by the start of the next decade.

Sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans in the UK will be banned from 2030, with new plug-in hybrids outlawed five years later.

Bentley, owned by the Volkswagen Group, made record sales last year.

The company, founded in 1919, said it delivered 15,174 cars in 2022.

The 4 per cent increase, compared with the previous 12 months, was driven by demand in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.

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The biog

From: Upper Egypt

Age: 78

Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila

Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace

Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace

COMPANY%20PROFILE

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ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS

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Who was Alfred Nobel?

The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.

In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.

Essentials

The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.

White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogenChromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxideUltramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica contentOphiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on landOlivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour

Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015

- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France

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Haemoglobin disorders explained

Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.

Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.

The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.

The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.

A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:

Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE

Game is on BeIN Sports

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Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10

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While you're here

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Here's why even the non-believers must understand faith

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