Bentley design boss on copycats: "We're a pinnacle brand, so a lot of brands look to us"

Bentley's head of design says the company isn't fazed by other auto brands "taking heavy inspiration" from its designs.

Speaking with CarExpert at the reveal of the all-new Torcal electric SUV – Bentley's first-ever EV – Bentley Motors head of design, T. Jon Mayer, said the British marque's designs will continue to stay rooted in its heritage.

"We're a pinnacle brand, so a lot of brands do look to us [for design inspiration]. I wouldn't say necessarily there was 'copying', but definitely taking heavy inspiration from certain areas, particularly around the interior as well as the exterior," Mr Mayer said.

"But I think that happens throughout the industry when you have a design-led focus and you do something that's fresh or new. Others will then kind of build off your idea that you've introduced, but it's always getting to the next one and the next development.

"So it's like chasing a milestone that will never end. So how do we make our designs [for the future]? Adapt them to be fresher, but it's always going back to our principles and DNA – always making sure it's a Bentley," Mr Mayer continued.

"We can do some wild, crazy stuff. We have plenty of talented team [members]. We could make the car look like whatever, but then it wouldn't be a Bentley.

"So that's really the focus, to stay rooted in our heritage and our authenticity, but also our DNA and principles, so that we keep improving generation after generation. And, it certainly helps when there's new technology that does come out, or new [production] methods.

"Exterior design-wise, it depends a lot on sensor integration, technology as far as lighting as well. Sheet metal is sheet metal, so we know how to bend it, stamp it, fold it – but again it's back to 'is this a Bentley?', 'Is this a progression for us?'."

Marti Page, product line director for the Torcal, also noted: "Our job is to control what we're about.

"Obviously, we can't control what other people choose to do. But I think if we're always true to those principles – endless bonnet, upright stances, all those kind of things that are [Bentley] DNA elements, and we're guided by that all the time, I think we're always true to what the brand represents and that's part of the value in the brand.

"I think the other point I'd add is methodologies. We have the opportunity to introduce methods, to execute in a way that some other brands don't choose to go and aren't able to go," Mr Page continued.

"Even if you take the [Torcal's] grille, there are 76 'diamonds' in there. They are hand-assembled into the grille system, so we also bring in the 'how' as part of our authenticity."

Mr Mayer said Bentley's status as a smaller-scale boutique manufacturer also helps shield the company from various industry pressures, allowing it to focus on core brand attributes like customisation and bespoke craftsmanship. But he added that progressing Bentley design without breaking traditional boundaries is his team's biggest challenge.

"We benefit by being a true luxury and smaller manufacturer, that we can do all these type of custom things," he said. "What you're touching on is the biggest daily challenge we have as designers – what's too far? What starts to go away from our core values, our brand and our DNA?

"And also with all those things, and having such a strong heritage, it almost feels like handcuffs sometimes to be honest, as a designer. Your creative box gets harder and stricter, which actually needs more creativity than just going off in the deep end in some other direction.

"So it's much, much harder to stay within the boundaries [of brand heritage] and progress to the future."

This week, Bentley revealed the Torcal, the first all-electric vehicle in the marque's 107-year history.

In addition to being the first Bentley EV, the Torcal introduces a number of other firsts, including the first 100 per cent merino wool automotive fabric, as well as curved interior displays with projections of light passing through real hand-cut crystal glass, crafted in collaboration with Cumbria Crystal in England's Lake District.

Bentley also launched the Torcal with new exterior paint colours, including the striking 'Electrum' satin green gold-effect hue seen on the Torcal S First Edition.

You can read our coverage of the 2027 Bentley Torcal reveal here.

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