Bentley W-12 engine to roll off the production line in 2024

W-12 offline

Bentley will stop production of the W-12 engine at its factory in Crewe, U.K., in April 2024, marking the end of the line for the VW Group's unconventional 12-cylinder powertrain that was introduced more than 20 years ago. Once the W-12 departs the production line, Bentley says it will be replaced with V-8 and V-6 hybrid production as the company continues to transition its lineup towards hybrids and EVs.

W-12 related introduction

The W12 engine is one of the most unconventional powerplants in recent automotive history. Essentially two narrow-angle V6s merged at the crankcase, make it possible to fit 12-cylinder power in a space not much bigger than you’d need for a V6. The W-configuration engine is a signature Volkswagen Group innovation, having appeared in 8-, 12-, and 16-cylinder forms throughout VW Group’s many brands. Now, Bentley is announcing that it will end W12 production in April 2024, capping off an era that began in 2003 with the brand’s first 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12.

Why the W-12 Engine was Canceled?

There’s no room in Bentley’s “Beyond100" sustainability strategy for a honking 12-cylinder. The company hopes to have its entire lineup “fully electrified by the start of the next decade,” said today’s press release, reducing average fleet emissions to zero grams of CO2 per mile. “Electrified,” in this case, means hybrids to start, the W12 being replaced with V8s, plug-in hybrid V6s, and eventually, full EVs. Bentley is the last automaker in the VW Group portfolio to use the W12, so this is well and truly the end of the line for this engine.

“Our progressive journey towards sustainable luxury mobility means making changes to every area of Bentley Motors,” the automaker’s chairman and CEO Adrian Hallmark said in a statement. “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 forward 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 toward electrification — but not without giving it the best sendoff possible, with the most powerful version of the engine ever created.”

Where else can I buy a W-12 engine?

If you still want a W12, Bentley says it has limited order slots left for the Continental GT Speed, Bentayga Speed, and Flying Spur Speed. Additionally, Bentley will allow you to specify it in the Continental GT Mulliner or Flying Spur Mulliner. No other new Bentley orders will be W12-compatible between now and production completion. The company warns that only a limited number of build slots are left, so anyone still on the fence should act quickly if they want the W12.