A fully-electric Bentley will become part of the company's future product range.

The British luxury brand is the latest car maker to commit to creating a rival to the ground-breaking Tesla Model S.

Speaking to Drive at the launch of the Bentayga SUV in Palm Springs last week, Bentley's board member in charge of engineering, Rolf Frech, confirmed his division is studying an electric car – which is likely to borrow most of its hardware, batteries and electric motors from the Porsche Mission E that shocked the Frankfurt motor show last year.

We have to look at what makes sense for us," Frech said.

"We are currently in the stage where we are evaluating all the possibilities, but there are so many question marks behind this. I think there will be an answer within the next six months to a year to decide which direction we will go, but of course electric will be a future strategy direction for Bentley."

Frech intimated that the two-seater Speed 6 concept car that debuted before the Mission E at the 2015 Geneva motor show could be a contender as the company's first fully electric car, saying that the low centre of gravity and instantaneous punch offered by such a platform fits the character of a future Bentley sports car.

Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 concept

"One way we could take is something like the Speed 6 we already showed, but it could also be a more traditional car… we will see," he said.

"We not only have the ability to use the (Mission E) platform but we can also use a lot of these modules to bring into our car. I think there are big steps coming and what we are doing now is preparing ourselves if these steps make sense then we will go for it."

It appears, no matter what is going to propel it, the Speed 6 is all but locked in for production anyway with Bentley executives hinting that it is a case of when rather than if it becomes a reality.

Frech said the biggest challenge is slotting it in the company's model cycle plan without overloading the capacity of its production facility in Crewe as it plans to double its output to 20,000 cars over the next decade. With the Bentayga SUV expected to account for up to 50 percent of sales in the near future, plus the roll-out of a more sporty coupe-style SUV (read all the details here) and an all-new Continental GT and GTC family due soon it is likely that the Speed 6 won't see light of day until at least 2020, following the production-ready Porsche Mission E.

"To bring several new models into the marketplace in one year and then have nothing is not good, so we are working on that," Frech told Drive.

"There are different parameters that define it, but I think we are in good shape with that car."

In the near future, Bentley has committed to offering a plug-in hybrid version of all future models, starting with the Bentayga in 2017.

While remaining tight-lipped on details, it is expected to be borrow the electric motor and battery technology from the Porsche Cayenne S E Hybrid and upcoming Audi Q7 e-Tron. Frech would not be drawn on whether it would be hooked-up to company's 4.0-litre V8 or use the same 3.0-litre turbo V6 as the Porsche.

Either way, he confirmed that the next-generation Continental GT family, including the Flying Spur four door and GTC convertible, as well as the flagship Mulsanne limousine will all be offered with some form of electric assistance.

"We start with the Bentayga and of course when we roll out the next generation for the other cars we will have that," he said.

"I think it is a great chance for Bentley because there is a lot of solutions within the [Volkswagen] group, but what we will do is define what a plug-in is for Bentley and go from there. I think it fits with the luxury and performance expected by our customers."