Bentley confirms uber-luxe SUV in development

One of the most prominent examples is the rumors of a Bentley SUV. Given that (A) luxury sport-utes are seemingly forever rising in popularity with no end in sight, (B) that Bentley's existing Continental range already packs torque-tastic engines and all-wheel drive, and that (C) its corporate cousins Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche are already in the game (not to mention Lamborghini, which once was and might yet once again), the rumors make sense, but have just never seemed to get there. At least, not beyond the Dominator (pictured above), built in a limited run in the mid-90s for the Sultan of Brunei.

This time, however, a report from Germany's well-regarded Auto Motor Und Sport claims to have received confirmation directly from Bentley's Chief Executive saying that the project is a go. And Wolfgang Dürheimer should know: the former Porsche executive was one of the driving forces behind the launch of the Cayenne, with which Bentley's new SUV would compete directly, along with the Range Rover and rumored upcoming SUVs from Maybach and Lagonda based on the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class.

No word just yet on a timeline for completion, but the sport-ute would reportedly slot in between the Continental and Mulsanne, giving it a price tag in the neighborhood of $230,000.