When Robin Page returned to British marque Bentley last fall, the veteran designer was given a familiar assignment: the Continental GT.
Page, the brand's design director, helped launch the svelte Continental more than 20 years ago, elevating Bentley to cool status among wealthy motorists and enthusiasts.
In its fourth generation, the Continental GT Speed, available as a coupe or convertible, is now more powerful and efficient: a plug-in hybrid powertrain delivers 771 horsepower from a 4.0-liter V8 and electric motor. The 400-volt electrical architecture enables drivers to get up to 50 miles of electric range on a charge, according to the company.
Page said the latest iteration balances longtime customer expectations -- ultra-luxe design and comfort -- with modern technology and materials. A new headlamp design replaces the traditional quad look and a smaller engine sips less fuel than the previous W12.
The interior details -- intricate quilting, wood paneling, satiny leather -- are still classic Bentley.
The brand, however, has evolved since Page's absence: there's a strong focus on electrification and originality. Gone are the days of the staid Bentley. More models are rolling off the production line in colors like magenta, pink and orange.
"People are personalizing their cars far more now than they were before," Page told ABC News. "With our customers, there's a whole mix of characters and taste."
What will never change, at least under Page's tenure: the physical buttons and "jewelry" in the cabin.
"Brands are bringing out these large screens with lots of cool graphics. That's completely the wrong direction for us," he said.
The interview below has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Q: The new Continental GT is your first project since returning to Bentley. What do you like most about the new Continental and how would you describe the design differences from previous model?
A: What I like most is probably the lights. This is the first time we've done a single headlamp [on the Continental] in 20 years. And then the horizontal line -- what we call the eyebrow line -- gives the car a different expression.
On the rear, the very strong elliptical lights -- where it goes from the smoked gray to the lava red -- I think is a really nice expression as well. So for me, these are the new identifiers to the new generation.
Q: Was it a controversial decision to do away with the traditional two-headlamp design?
A: Yes, it was. When you're working with a heritage brand, there's this needle ... if you don't do anything progressive and stick with certain strong elements, everyone says it's not progressive, it's not moving forward. If you go too far, people will say it doesn't look like a Bentley. So you need to balance it depending on which model you're working on. For the next generation, we can take a bigger step again. But I think this was just right for our customers at this point. When we showed our customers [the new lights] they were like, "Yeah, that's cool, you haven't ripped up something great."
Q: Buttons are everywhere inside the car. What's your take on the big screen trend?
A: I've been in this industry long enough to see what's going on with screens. I mean, brands are bringing out these large screens with lots of cool graphics. I think now we're coming off that wave. And before long we're going to start looking back at some of the cars and thinking, "OMG look how old-fashioned it looks like with the big screens."
Bentley is in a really good place because we have that tradition of jewelry, detailing and beautiful switchwork combined with some digital elements. As we move forward with time, the screens are going to become less important and there will be new technologies that come in. For us, we don't need to have these huge digital displays.
MORE: How Kia's design chief is making Americans want to drive sedans againQ: Is customization also popular now with consumers?
A: People are personalizing their cars far more now than they were before. Around COVID, we saw an escalation in commissioning. We thought that would drop off, but it's actually carried on and getting more important. Customers are creating their own expression and I think social media [may be a factor]. Customers are having much more fun with the configurator and personalization. That's great for us to see because they're using the palette of colors and materials that we have. I am starting to see cars come off the line and think, "Wow, that's cool, that's a very interesting combination."
Q: What are some of the most interesting cars you've seen?
A: A controversial color is always pink, and what makes it even more interesting is when people start putting pink exteriors and interiors together. Then it gets a bit ... colorful. Magentas, pinks, oranges -- they're all quite fresh. What's important is where the car fits into its environment. In England, [a pink car] looks a bit exotic. But in California, Miami, the Middle East ... pink fits in with the modern architecture.
Q: Men are buying pink cars too, right?
A: Absolutely. With our customers, there's a whole mix of characters and taste. I think it's great. I have to say, being away from Bentley for 10 years ... now it's a full rainbow of colors. Before there were lots of black, grays, blues and whites.
MORE: Meet your new virtual assistant: The AI in your carQ: Are customers asking for more sustainable materials?
A: Sustainability is definitely on our agenda -- as a factory, as a product. We're looking for really high luxury sustainable materials. The whole vegan car topic was getting important to customers but it seems to have dropped off a little bit. Leather is a very sustainable material as long as we eat meat -- it's a byproduct. Even worse, if we don't use it, it gets burned and creates C02.
I think people want modern materials ... but you got to really look at the process. There's no point in doing something just because it sounds better. It's got to be true to its core. We really look at the whole chain.
Q: Some automakers in the luxury space are experimenting with bamboo, silk, denim. Are there materials Bentley is experimenting with right now?
A: What we're interested in is natural materials that can be processed. You can take a beautiful material, like mussel shells, which are actually a waste material, and do something amazing with it, it gives it a nice story. There are some really interesting materials and we're developing them and getting them to our level. We're working through the process of how to get the mussel shells on a veneer ... it's difficult because they're curved. But that's something we're exploring at the moment.
Q: What are challenges of designing an electric Bentley?
A: There are lots of advantages to electrification in terms of interior space and quietness. For us, it's important to keep the grille graphic. The hardest part is always balancing people's expectations of how progressive Bentley goes versus is it still a Bentley. You have to navigate where the customers want to be because at the end of the day, that's the most important thing -- what our customers want.
Q: What's one design trend in the industry that you will not see on a Bentley?
A: That's a good question. I think the big full screen, the big full display unit across the car. I just think our customers will see that as quite cheap. You get into some cars and think, "I am not intelligent enough to be able to work this out." I am in the industry and if I can't work it out, God help some people [he laughs]. That's completely the wrong direction for us. The cars are loaded with really good technology but it's how you present it. The overload of technology and the huge displays is not something I want to do.