One of the most sought-after luxury car brands Bentley announced its entry into the web3 space with its Genesis NFT project on the polygon network. The project is scheduled to drop in September 2022 and will include 208 exclusive NFTs designed by the Bentley design team. Although the project has garnered a lot of attention, there’s very little detail about the design and accessibility of the project. The British automobile giant has not released any details regarding the design or whitelist spots of the project. Bentley has not made it clear whether it’s a member-only project, exclusively for Bentley owners, or available to all. Alain Favey, member of the board for sales and marketing said in an interview:
“Bentley customers are living their lives online, purchasing luxury goods with digital currency, and establishing businesses in the Metaverse. We’ve always engaged our customers where they explore their passions, and today that means being present in digital marketplaces and offering NFT assets.”
Although Bentley has not revealed many details about the project. They have revealed that the proceeds from the project will be used for philanthropic causes including educating students interested in design and manufacturing. And they will channel funds towards increasing their sustainability efforts and going carbon neutral.
The Number 208
As already mentioned above, the Genesis project will have 208 NFTs. The number 208 was not chosen on a whim, 208 is a significant figure for the sterling brand. It represents the top speed of their fastest production car, the Continental GT Speed. And it also represents the prestige of the legendary R-type continental of 1952 whose production was limited to 208 units. The R-type Continental was an iconic car from Bentley back in the 50s. It had a lightweight aluminum chassis, an aerodynamic frame, and a powerful engine capable of pushing it past 100mph, making it the fastest production four-seater at the time. The exclusive NFTs will entail special perks like exclusive access to Bentley events and rewards.
The Bentley Genesis NFT microsite reveals almost nothing about the design or the inspiration of the NFTs, it simply features an image of the Bentley logo against a crimson sky. Now, that may be a hint about the design of the NFTs, but I can barely imagine one photo being the inspiration behind 208 different NFTs.
The microsite also has a direct link to the Genesis NFT discord server which currently has more than 5,000 members, that you can join to stay updated on the details of the product launch. The last update was posted on the announcement section of their discord server on August 28, 2022.
The Sustainable NFT Project
Bentley chose the Polygon Network over the Ethereum network because Polygon is a carbon-neutral network and Bentley wants all of its NFTs to be carbon neutral and contribute towards its goal to be carbon neutral by 2030.
Ryan Wyatt, CEO at Polygon, said:
“Polygon is excited to expand our partnerships in the automobile industry, by working with the most prestigious brand in its sector. Polygon will provide the sustainable, low-fee infrastructure Bentley requires for its foray into Web3. By embracing this novel tech, Bentley secures its position in the next iteration of the internet, and doing so via Polygon’s carbon-neutral network will assist the automaker on its journey toward attaining carbon-neutrality by 2030.”
Marketing Analysis
The Bentley NFT project is unique in two ways. First, the design aspect of the project was not released to the public and yet the project was able to garner huge attention towards the project. Second, the company chose the Polygon network over the more popular Ethereum network, thanks to the carbon-neutral status of Polygon. With the company poised toward the noble cause of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, they want their first step into the realm of web 3 to be sustainable and count towards their final goal. Bentley added another layer of nobility and appeal by pledging the proceeds from the project towards philanthropic causes.
It reflects the same royalty and opulence that their masterpieces represent and is in harmony with the brand image. And even though there’s little detail about the project and its design, the buzz seems to be promising.
TL;DR
Bentley is entering the web 3 space with its Genesis NFT project on the Polygon network. Here’s what you need to know:
- The project will drop in September 2022.
- It will feature 208 NFTs
- The number 208 represents the top speed of the Continental GT Speed and the production run of R-type continental
- You can join the Discord server from the Bentley NFT microsite.
- All the NFTs are carbon-neutral as they are to be minted on Polygon.
- All the proceeds from the project will be used for philanthropic causes.
Project Timeline
