Bentley is ready to give the green light to a baby sports car instead of a small SUV - but Britain’s Brexit negotiations may force a delay as the firm waits for the necessary investment in the project from the VW Group. The Crewe manufacturer has been considering an additional product line for the past 18 months, following the successful launch and strong sales of the Bentayga. The two projects under consideration are said to have been a smaller SUV that would have been based on the Audi Q5 platform, and a baby sports car - in effect, the production version of the EXP 10 Speed 6 concept that was shown at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. • 2017 Bentley Continental: latest details Now Bentley’s Chairman and CEO Wolfgang Durheimer has given the strongest hint yet that the sports car has been selected - by discounting the idea of the baby SUV. “We know what our additional product line will be,” he told Auto Express, “and it will bring in new customers to Bentley - younger and more dynamic customers.

“The problem with a smaller SUV is that it ends up against many other premium brands, not luxury ones. Whereas with the product idea we currently have, we will be up against our luxury rivals; this is what I prefer.” When asked if these rivals would include Aston Martin, Durheimer replied, “They are a good example.” The baby sports car - which could well be called Barnato - would be a natural rival for Aston’s V8 Vantage. Its pricing would start at around £130,000 - or just a less less than the most basic Continental GT; this would lift the Barnato above the likes of the Porsche 911. Durheimer went on to say he expects to get investment for the new model line to be confirmed in summer 2017, although the project is already under way and has reached the design stage. He admitted, however, that the UK's decision to leave the EU has made it harder for him to get Wolfsburg to commit to funding. "I wouldn't say Brexit is putting the project at risk," he said, "but it has made it more difficult." Bentley Barnato: What's in the name? The name Barnato makes reference to former Bentley chairman and three-time Bentley Le Mans 24 Hours winner Woolf Barnato, who competed in the race in 1928, 1929 and 1930. Barnato was known as one of the ‘Bentley Boys’ and remains one of few drivers to win every race entered at Le Mans. The motorsport background associated with the name seems an appropriate fit for a sports car such as the EXP 10 concept.