Bentley SUV to enter 2013 Dakar Rally

Bentley SUV in the 2013 Dakar Rally

Bentley are planning to enter their new SUV – the EXP 9F Concept – in the Dakar Rally in 2013. Sort of.

It’s a tried and tested route for the VW Group to go with SUV’s : Enter them in to a gruelling rally to prove their capabilities and enhance their sale prospects.

The Porsche Cayenne went off to play in the Transsyberian rally and the VW Touareg has had huge success in the Dakar Rally, winning three times on the trot from 2009 to 2011.

And now it looks like VW are trying to buy back the Dakar Touaregs that did the rally in 2011 from the privateers they were sold to so they can re-body them as Bentleys and enter the 2013 Dakar Rally.

According to CAR, Bentley are keen to establish the credentials of their SUV before it hits showrooms – probably with a redesign – in 2015.

The Bentley SUV that ends up in the Dakar Rally in 2013 won’t resemble the production Bentley SUV in any way except for a grafted on front and rear end to match the EXP 9F, but then the Dakar Touareg didn’t resemble the production Touareg much either; it’s all about how it looks and the headlines it grabs.

With the 2013 Dakar Rally scheduled for 5th – 20th January 2013 in Peru, Argentina and Chile we should see some evidence of Bentley’s SUV participation before too long.

By Cars UK