Bentley’s innovative rotating display wins the dashboard of the year category at the Automobile Awards

15/12/23Continental GT

Bentley’s engineering technology elected by the jury of the French Automobile Awards rewarding the special features of the rotating display
Patent for unique mechanism designed by Bentley to face a +/-0.3mm tolerance
Infotainment screen, classic analogue and elegant veneer at the press of a button
High level of precision and dedicated electronic control unit necessary to provide rotation system
Award comes at a special moment in the history of Bentley Motors, the 20 year anniversary of the car-segment creator Bentley Continental GT

(Munich, 15 December 2023) The Bentley Rotating Display, developed for the Flying Spur and Continental GT, won the Dashboard of the Year award in the sixth edition of the Automobile Awards, which took place at the prestigious Automobile Club de France, place de la Concorde in Paris. Since the launch of the Bentley Rotating Display (BRD), this has become one of the most popular options with approximately 70 per cent of customers specifying their dream car with the innovative system.

While developing the systems, the designers and engineers focused their attention to ensure they combine the philosophy of the brand of unrivalled craftsmanship with cutting edge technology at the press of a button.

The team invested over three years to develop the system that consists of 153 individual components to form a three-sided rotating display. The patent on this mechanism features the alignment of each face to a +/-0.3mm tolerance.

The Automobile Awards jury, which consists of a panel of 20 expert judges being professionals, journalists and partners from the automotive and non automotive industry have evaluated the centrepiece that provides customers the ability to choose between the main 12.3” infotainment touchscreen, and a set of three analoge gauges consisiting of outside temperature, a compass and a chronometer.

To provide the mechanism of the rotation while maintaining extremely tight clearances (less than 0.5mm for each of the sides), three separate but linked motions are required. The first motion retracts the unit in to the dashboard to provide clearance for the second stage – rotation – before the unit motors forward back in to position. To achieve this level of precision, a bespoke mechanism consists of 40 moving components, including custom rotational and linear gearbox drive units mated to high-refinement motors controlled by a dedicated electronic control unit (ECU).

This is a special year for Bentley Motors and receiving this award coincides with the Continental GT’s birthday that also marks the 20th year anniversary of Bentley’s 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 engine, that has physically and metaphorically powered Bentley’s success over two decades. With the end of the production of the engine scheduled for April 2024, only four months of W12 assembly remain before this iconic powertrain makes way for Bentley’s electrified future.

Balazs Rooz, Regional Director of Bentley Motors Europe, commented:

“We are delighted to receive this special award, highlighting a great feature available in our definitive Grand Tourer, the Continental GT, and the world’s finest luxury four door Grand Tourer, the Flying Spur. This award is a great recognition of the stunning innovative work done by our engineers, designers and craftsmen back in Crewe. It has been designed with a high level of precision, in combination with the craftsmanship and technology that is highly appreciated by the customers and unique to Bentley Motors.”

- ENDS –