Crewe, England - Luxury carmaker Bentley will launch its first ever biofuel-powered car at the Geneva show from March 5-15, the company has announced.

Teaser shots from Bentley show a model which appears to be based on the Continental GT. The car runs on bio-ethanol and is being billed as the "fastest, most powerful production car" ever made by the company.

Biofuel or flex fuel cars cars are designed to run on petrol or a blend of up to 85 per cent ethanol. The car is part of a drive by Bentley, owned by Germany's Volkswagen since 1998, to introduce eco- friendly fuels to the luxury end of the market.

According to media reports in Britain, Bentley is working on making the supercharged V8 engine in the prestigious Arnage saloon run on high-octane ethanol. The first biofuel production Bentley is expected to roll out during 2009.

Bentley man Stuart McCullough told journalists at last month's Detroit show: "Not only will it retain the level of performance one would expect from a Bentley, it will also help us address long-term fuel security issues as well as C02 emissions." (dpa)