The luxury manufacturer has yet to announce full details of its future plug-in hybrids, but said these will offer a range of at least 31 miles, contributing to a 70% reduction in CO2 emissions, and that the electric motor will provide a 25% power increase to the cars’ internal combustion engines.

Plug-in hybrid Bentleys will also form part of the Volkswagen Group’s ambitions to offer electrification in every segment it competes in by 2017, spread across its portfolio of brands.

Bentley first hinted at plug-in hybrid drivetrains in 2012, its EXP 9F SUV concept combining a V6 petrol engine and electric motor to offer a 30-mile range to a full battery charge and CO2 emissions of 130g/km, yet also capable of reaching 62mph in under five seconds from rest.

Two years later, and the technology is being shown in a Mulsanne-based concept car at the Beijing Motor Show. The EXP 9F’s production counterpart will launch in 2016, and become the carmaker’s first plug-in hybrid a year later.

Dr Wolfgang Schreiber, chairman and chief executive of Bentley Motors, said: ‘There is no doubt that plug-in hybrid technology is true to Bentley’s values of outstanding luxury and effortless performance. Combining our renowned engines with electric power reinforces and enhances both principles, and so we will gradually introduce this powertrain across our model range.

By the end of the decade, at least 90% of our production will be available as a plug-in hybrid. We are proud to be pioneering these developments in the luxury sector.’