Bentley Motors has presented its latest luxury concept, the EXP 15, which represents its “design vision for the future” and takes inspiration from the auto maker’s early 20th century Grand Tourer heritage.
While not intended for production or indeed sale, EXP 15 does provide hints to the design of future Bentleys, including the brand’s first fully electric car due soon. 
Bently used virtual reality (VR) software to enable customers to see and experience a wider variety of possible configurations, mixing familiar contemporary physical car interior features.
Robin Page, Bentley director of design, explained, “The beauty of a concept car is not just to position our new design language, but to test where the market’s going. It’s clear that SUVs are a growing segment and we understand the GT market – through four generations of the Continental GT – but the trickiest segment is the sedan because it’s changing. Some customers want a classic ‘three-box’ sedan shape, others a ‘one-box’ design, and others again something more elevated. So this was a chance for us to talk to people and get a feeling.”
Three-seat package
The EXP 15 offers a three-seat layout. One door on the driver’s side opens to the driver’s seat plus a cocooning rear seat behind, while twin coach doors and part of the panoramic roof open upward on the passenger side to enable easier entry and exit via a flexible passenger-side seat that can swivel 45° outward. The passenger seat can also be moved to different positions according to customer mood or need, such as co-pilot mode, standard setting or relax mode.
The trunk can also open and deploy two small seats, which are set alongside an atmospheric physical lamp and fridge stocked with cold drinks, which can slide back from the rear seats.
Interior mixes natural and physical with technical and digital
The Wing Gesture dashboard has been a staple within Bentley cabins and is the brand’s first of five interior design principles. The second principle, Bold Gravitas, is about using luxury materials across large spaces so customers can see and feel them. 
The Cocooning Haven is the brand’s third interior design principle and highlights the importance of protecting and encapsulating Bentley’s customers. The fourth element, Iconic Details, describes the elements associated with Bentley interiors.
The fifth interior design principle is the latest edition, Magical Fusion, which refers to Bentley’s intent to offer a mix of physical and digital features and sometimes merge the two. This includes the EXP 15’s full-width dashboard, which acts as a digital interface for all manner of infotainment, or switch off to reveal a veneered wood surface visible underneath the glass. Also nestling centrally behind the screen is a clock-like device with multiple movable and illuminated fingers. This feature also acts as a driver-assist display system.
Material and colour
On the virtual reality inside of EXP 15, the colour, trim and finish team has created four themes, with a mix of traditional and modern materials. Within the rear of the cabin designers have imagined the use of a fine silk jacquard textile to promote well-being. This complements the latest fine woven metal mesh, called Acrylic Couture, which is encapsulated in acrylic and, when illuminated, can create radiant 3D effects within the dashboard.
Similarly, back-lit materials sit behind cut veneers of Bentley’s signature quilting in the door cards and elsewhere, to add even more futuristic ambience. As Andrea Jensen, head of colour, materials, finish and bespoke, said, “When you cut a diamond pattern out of the veneer and put jacquard silk or a hybrid mesh against it and light it up, you can create what we’re calling an active 3D quilt.”
Elsewhere a 100% wool textile by Fox Brothers is used in the damson ombre effect on EXP 15’s executive trim theme interior alongside real 3D-printed titanium finishes, and these metal details are said to reduce both the weight on the car and waste in production.
