Spied: 2017 Bentley Bentayga

Bentley\'s upcoming Bentayga SUV is starting to take shape.

Bentley's upcoming super-luxury SUV has revealed some more of its styling details in a new round of spy shots. Set to debut later this year, Bentley's first-ever utility vehicle will be called 'Bentayga'.

Bentley explains that the SUV's name was inspired by the company's namesake as well as the natural world; Taiga, the world's largest transcontinental snowforest, resides to the North of Bentley's HQ while the Roque Bentayga rock formation is to the south in the Canary Islands.

"Bentayga is a name that reflects what we know our SUV will do better than any other car in the world - combine the best automotive luxury with outstanding performance to take the Bentley experience to new environments," said Wolfgang Dürheimer, Chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors.

Bentley has so far only released a few teaser shots of the Bentayga, but spy shots have given us a good idea of what to expect from the off-roader. Billed as the "most luxurious and most powerful SUV in the market," it's clear that the SUV will take styling cues from Bentley's latest Flying Spur sedan. Whereas the EXP 9 F concept featured front end-styling more in line with the range-topping Mulsanne, this prototype uses four LED headlight lifted from the sportier Flying Spur. The Bentayga will also sport a front grille, shapely hood and rear haunches inspired by the Flying Spur.

No concrete mechanical details have been revealed, but the Bentayga will likely utilize elements of the platform shared by the next-generation Volkswagen Touareg, Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne. Bentley's twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W12 will be the only motor available at launch, but a plug-in hybrid drivetrain will be introduced in 2017. The SUV will eventually be offered with the company's 4.0L twin-turbocharged V8.

The Bentayga will launch in 2016 with a two-row configuration, but an optional third-row is under consideration.

The SUV's interior will be pure luxury with plenty of leather and wood. The SUV will use the same steering wheel as the Flying Spur, but it looks as though the utility vehicle could adopt an all-LCD instrument cluster.

Even with pricey ‘utes from Lamborghini and Maserati set to arrive in coming years, the Bentley could well end up as the world's most expensive SUV thanks to a starting price north of $200,000. In the past, Bentley has hinted at plans to sell 3,000 examples each year - which would make it the automaker's highest-volume vehicle.

The launch of the Bentayga, which will be built in Crewe, England (not Slovakia as previously rumored), will create 1,000 jobs in the UK. Bentley is investing $1.23 billion to develop the SUV and other new models, as well as to upgrade its headquarters in Crewe.