Welcome to the launch of a new focus for Bentley
Motors.
For more than a century, Bentley has stood for an unrivalled blend of luxury and performance.
As the company goes through the biggest transformation in its 103 year history to become the world's
leading sustainable mobility company.
There's now a third string to that bow.
The concept of automotive wellness.
I'm Maria Mulder, Head of Colour and Trim at Bentley.
Over the next few minutes, and with the help of some colleagues, I'm going to introduce
you to the new Bentley Azure range, a new specification of Bentley available across
the model range that is centred on our new mantra of wellbeing behind the wheel.
We've already unveiled the pinnacle car in the Azure range.
The new Bentayga Extended Wheelbase.
This fifth model line for Bentley is our new flagship, a stretched SUV with new levels
of onboard comfort and wellness, yet retaining the performance and driving dynamics of the
Bentayga.
More on that a little later.
Before that, let's focus more on our concept of wellbeing behind the wheel.
For the development of Azure we commissioned a suite of research that defined the factors
that affect our wellness when we're on the road, as a driver or a passenger.
To talk us through this research.
I'm delighted to be joined by our lead neuroscientist Katherine Templar Lewis.
Could you tell us a little bit about your work.
1:38 So I work in neuroaesthetics, which is the
neuroscience of the aesthetic experience.
And by that I mean how everything around us from what we sort of touch, to what we can
hear and see impacts our brain and our body.
And so ultimately, our well being and you know, we need it more than ever right now.
Because we know that stress is at an all time high, about 43% of us feel daily stress.
And that impacts both our mental and physical health.
And I was very lucky I had the pleasure of driving one of the Bentleys, the Bentayga
S. And like every Bentley, the minute you step into it, you have this incredible sense
of not just of comfort and relaxation, but sort of energy as well.
And that's a feeling that lasts the whole day.
1:38 We really consider all of the different surfaces,
what material be on there, so that both the passenger and the driver have that sensory
experience.
1:43 All these elements are so important, and it's
such a wonderful thing to see them come to life in the car.
2:33 I've bought some samples here today to just
really evidence this concept.
I've got this beautiful crown cut open-pore veneer, what you can see is the true detail
in its character.
And the real sense of it being an authentic material.
Another sample I have here is the 100% wool.
It's the Wilton woven, and this has got such a depth to it.
And such a depth of quality, that really it feels like it comes from your own home.
3:01 You do, in the car get this feeling of being
completely cocooned, so sort of safe and secure, that's amazing.
3:07 Absolutely.
And with the range of colours that we have, we can then create and really personalise
for each customer, that sense of light and dark.
So that level of personalisation with, with piping with stitching, hand cross-stitching
as well.
And even if a customer wanted to have something that little bit more special, we even offer
things like open-pore stone veneers.
So this is a natural stone.
And again, you get this, when you touch it, you get the sense of its texture, and its
authenticity.
These are the things that we love to create for the customer.
3:41 When we study brains and what happens in the
brain, how how you know that the reaction to this is really visceral.
You know, we know that that combination of pleasing sort of colours and shapes and forms,
they do all sorts of things like increase dopamine in the brain, which makes you feel
sort of more at ease and more motivated.
It affects the limbic part of the brain, which is the seat of emotion, even things like these
details this beautiful diamond sort of repeating symmetrical pattern, here we know that when
our eyes scan patterns like that, we produce alpha waves, which is this brainwave associated
with sort of relaxation, creativity, flow states, even things like the touch, you know,
we're very visually dominated but touch is so important.
We know that when we feel these sort of beautiful, soft materials, we feel very comforted.
And at the same time, the sort of hard materials like this gives this wonderful sense of sort
of grounding and strength so every aspect inside the car is just laddering up to that
incredible sort of feeling of well-being.
Maria, thank you.
It's been such a pleasure to explore some of the incredible creative and visual aspects.
Thank you.
4:47 So, now we're gonna go and meet Andy Jackson,
who's the Acoustics Engineer at Bentley.
So, Andy, you're Acoustics Engineer at Bentley, but what does that actually mean?
5:02 It's a really cool title.
and it's a really cool job.
The work we do is fascinating and sounds, affects us in so many ways that most people
aren't even aware of.
So as an acoustic engineer, I aim to control the sound and vibration levels inside the
vehicle's cabin.
So historically, this is all about noise reduction.
A quieter cabin makes the journey more pleasant and generally less tiring for the occupants.
But now we also work on the character of the sound because the how a sound, sounds, its
properties is just as important as the level.
So essentially, the first step in defining the sound character of a vehicle is to understand
people's expectations and perception of sound.
So essentially, we're embedding the Bentley sound character into its DNA every every component
of the car.
So an interesting part of sound character is this idea of balance and harmony.
And that's kind of multi layered.
So there's balance between the sounds.
So when they mix together, it still sounds great.
There's balance between the senses.
So cohesion between what you see, what you hear, and what you feel, and cohesion between
the sound and the product, derivative or type.
And Bentley's values.
6:11 It's so fascinating to hear all this because
Maria and I were talking about exactly that, you know, the car as a multi sensory environment.
And of course, you know, the sound you add is just as important as the sound you take
away.
So how do you reduce all that negative outdoor noise inside the car cabin?
6:27 Well, the larger more spacious cabin gave
us some interesting challenges.
Large volumes are more sensitive to low frequency sound.
And while some low frequency's great, it really gives a feeling of potency and power, too
much can be oppressive and make that space feel claustrophobic.
So we reworked the exhaust, the distinctive Bentley exhaust note, is still there.
It's just slightly muted, so we don't disturb the occupants, especially those in the rear.
Active engine mounts are on the vehicle, which remove powertrain vibration, making the cabin
more comfortable.
We also worked on the rear seat comfort.
So we've reduced road vibrations felt in the rear seat by 25%.
And this is a great example of how understanding how we all perceive vibration directly effects
our product development.
In this case, we helped influence the seat cushion foam.
Exterior noise penetration was minimised through an optimisation programme that we conducted
at an aeroacoustic wind tunnel, where we focused on the body sealing systems, the acoustic
laminate glazing and the rear NVH fleece pack.
7:32 I mean, it's amazing how the science is so
sort of embedded in the design itself.
It's really wonderful.
And you do notice it, you know, I was overwhelmed by this sense of sort of calm when you step
into the cabin, you know, there's a pervasive feeling that was really amazing.
And, you know, it's so necessary right now we live in these very modern, hectic lives.
And especially if you're, for example, in traffic all day long, we've seen from research
that just being in traffic noise about 70 decibels and above, it can actually impact
your mental health.
So it's so wonderful to see the thought and the science that's gone into the design of
this, not just the sound that is sort of taken away, but also of course the sounds that you
can hear as well.
Now we know from research that listening to music can also increase things like creativity,
flow states, can calm your nervous system, and that's something as well that you've considered
isn't it?
8:20 It is Katherine, yes.
So I mean, first of all, we hear that a lot when people get into our vehicles so they
get this, comments on how quiet it is, you know, you get a real sense that you're cocooned
you know, it's a safe space away from the outside world.
And of course that, that nice calm space that's quiet is a perfect place to listen to audio,
and Naim for Bentley in-car audio systems have been widely acclaimed since their introduction
in 2008.
And this is a legacy that's set to continue with Azure.
We have a 1920 watt amplifier that drives 20 loudspeakers all optimised for Azure, and
controlled by a unique Bentley Digital Signal Processor or DSP and this DSP optimises the
sound based on your location in the vehicle, and the content you're listening to.
It also adapts real time to changes in the car, making subtle changes to the sound.
So you always have that perfect listening experience.
And for the first time with Azure, we have our first fixed surround sound algorithm.
So you got a truly immersive audio experience in the cabin.
9:23 It really is that perfect immersive environment.
It's been such a pleasure talking to you about about all the different sonic features, so
thank you very much.
And now we're going to head outside talk to Steve James about the interiors.
9:40 Hi Katherine.
9:41 Steve, hello.
It's lovely to see you and lovely to be introduced to the new flagship, the the pinnacle of the
Azure range, the Bentayga EWB Azure.
9:49 Our big challenge here was to develop the
most comfort focused driver and passenger experience we have.
9:54 Could you tell us about some of the features?
9:55 On this Azure derivative we have the Bentley
Dynamic Ride which has been further enhanced and tuned to be the optimum performance for
comfort in the vehicle.
We also have in this edition with a touring specification, rear wheel steering, which
really helps with the dynamic control of the car, giving you that feeling of safety and
security whilst you're driving even in the most dynamic conditions.
We've also introduced some wonderful features on the interior of the car.
Our mood lighting with the enhanced diamond illumination package is really an experience
that has to be seen.
As you know from driving a Bentley, we really put emphasis on focusing where on the interior
cabin, we can affect the wellbeing of the customer.
On the as your derivative, those wellbeing experiences are heightened to an even more
extreme level.
10:35 They really are.
And that's why it's just so loved about the experience of being inside it's that detail
and the temperature control in this is wonderful because people don't realise how much energy
it takes to control your own temperature.
So actually, if you have a sort of wonderful climate within and the controlled temperature,
you really find it reduces fatigue, it reduces irritability, it improves your driving, but
it also improves your productivity across the whole day.
Now Steve's gonna take us through the airline seat specification in a little more detail.
11:08 We have an all encompassing approach to seek
comfort.
And while we can make our seat designs as comfortable as possible, when you remain seated
for long periods, there will always be periods of discomfort, including thermal discomfort,
which can increase over time, we wanted to target some innovation around longer term
customer journeys.
The airline seat specification has been designed with a complex interlayer to work in harmony
with the Bentley Dynamic Ride.
This is to isolate you from any vibrations you may feel.
The seat profiles can be adjusted to accommodate different shapes and profiles.
The leg rest feature can be adjusted to find your optimum postural position.
We wanted to develop an anti fatigue system that would target and keep away the feeling
of long term discomfort.
Our postural adjustment system works through a series of pneumatic bladders that adjust
the pressure zones in contact with a seat.
These micro adjustments are controlled by a complex algorithm that we developed with
the support of a chiropractor who specialises in the area of seat discomfort.
These micro adjustments are designed to subtly twist your body increasing the blood flow
particularly around your lower back and lower limbs.
This will stop fatigue from setting in and keep you more alert and awake.
The auto climate seat system is a sensor set that we have developed inside the seat that
are embedded.
It measures both your temperature and humidity levels.
By monitoring your temperature and humidity levels over time, we can sample the data every
25 milliseconds.
And we use this information with the use of a software algorithm to turn on just the right
amount of heating or ventilation to maintain an optimal comfort position.
In our control drive cycles.
We have measured that the system running in auto mode is 40% more efficient than when
operated in manual modes.
13:06 When ordering a Bentley customers will now
be able to choose what's most important to them.
A focus on driving performance, or onboard wellness.
Every Bentley will do both, but the balance between the two will be the customer's choice.
Azure will be available across the entire model range.
We'll be offering two different axis of specification, driving performance on one and wellness on
the other with the incredible products from Bentley Mulliner crowning both.
More on that very soon.
Until then, thank you very much for joining us.