Key Takeaways

  • Bentley developed the Torcal, a $350 million electric SUV priced at roughly half the cost of a Ferrari Luche to reach younger, first-time luxury buyers.
  • Rather than piping artificial V8 engine rumble into the cabin, Bentley hired musicians to build an original propulsion sound using crystal glass, birdsong, percussion, and tapped leather.
  • The vehicle arrives during severe commercial friction: sliding sales in China, fallout from Middle East conflict, higher US tariffs, and workforce layoffs.
  • John Coogan and Jordi Hays debate whether bespoke sensory details can overcome softening consumer demand in the luxury electric vehicle category.

The Disagreement

When legacy carmakers build electric vehicles, they usually face an identity crisis. Electric motors run silent, but luxury sports car heritage rests entirely on the roar of mechanical combustion. Most brands solve this by piping synthesized exhaust growls through interior speakers.

Bentley took a completely different path with the Torcal. As John Coogan explained, “Instead of recreating the V8 engine noise, the EV has a propulsion sound handcrafted by musicians with a unique blend of sounds from percussion, crystal glass, birds, and the tapping of leather.” The goal is to give a new generation of buyers a luxury feel without faking old technology.

Jordi Hays was openly skeptical about whether clever acoustics can solve the company's real problem: unit volume. As Hays pointed out, “Well, I don't think we're going to be seeing a lot because Bentley is just not selling a lot of cars right now.”

Coogan highlighted the broader operational pressure facing the automaker: “The EV launch comes at a challenging period for Bentley as it struggles with slowing demand in China, fallout from Middle East conflict, higher US tariffs. Bentley has slimmed its workforce as profits and vehicle deliveries have declined. It's serious. We have to bring back the competitiveness. We have to be quick. We have to work harder.”

Who's Right (and When They're Wrong)

From a pure product design perspective, Coogan's appreciation for the soundscape makes sense. Skeuomorphism, the habit of making new digital tools look or sound like old physical tools, always wears thin. When Apple launched iOS 7 in 2013, it stripped out the fake green felt and leather stitching from its apps. Bentley is doing the same thing for automotive acoustics: rejecting the fake exhaust pipe and creating an audio signature native to electric motors.

If you build software or hardware that replaces an older medium, do not fake the old medium's side effects. An electronic document does not need the sound of turning paper. An electric car does not need simulated pistons firing.

Yet Hays is correct on the commercial reality. Product elegance cannot fix distribution collapse. When macro factors like tariffs and regional sales slowdowns hit, high-concept sensory experiments will not bail out an expensive launch. If customers are pulling back on spending, a bird-and-crystal glass propulsion tone will not push them over the finish line. Sound design creates brand loyalty only after the price, market fit, and distribution channels work.

What to Do With This

Audit your product for fake legacy features this week. List every place where you simulate the behavior, sounds, or visual metaphors of the legacy process you are trying to replace. Pick one and strip it out in favor of a native interaction that makes sense for your modern stack.