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Rimac is reportedly close to buying Bugatti from the Volkswagen Group

Croatia-based Rimac is finalizing a deal to purchase Bugatti from the Volkswagen Group, according to an unverified report. If the rumor is accurate, the sale would propel Rimac to the top of the automotive industry, guarantee that Bugatti's future is electric, and mark the beginning of Volkswagen's efforts to divest its empire. Executives in Wolfsburg gave the deal the green light in September 2020, according to anonymous sources who spoke to British magazine Car, but the company's supervisory board hasn't approved it yet. Selling the French company isn't as simple as sending company founder Mate Rimac an email with an account number. Insiders explained Volkswagen would likely trade Bugatti and all of its assets for a significant stake in Rimac that would be transferred directly to Porsche, which already owns 15.5% of the brand. Officials hope to increase that figure to about 49%, meaning Bugatti is theoretically worth about 33.5% of Rimac, which was founded in 2009. Bugatti told Autoblog it can't comment on speculation. Mate Rimac gave us a similar answer. Rumors of a Bugatti sale have hovered around the automotive industry for several years, and they've never materialized. In theory, spinning off the brand would be relatively easy because it's not as deeply integrated into the Volkswagen Group as its sister companies. It doesn't share its W16 engine with another carmaker, for example. And yet, Car speculates Lamborghini, SEAT, ItalDesign, Bentley, and Ducati will also be sold in the coming years, leaving Volkswagen with its namesake division, Skoda, Audi, Porsche, Scania, and MAN. Volkswagen is having an estate sale to fund the development of electric, autonomous, and digital technologies. Its downsizing will send ripples through the auto industry. Porsche could move upmarket if it doesn't have to worry about stepping on Lamborghini's toes, for example. Spinoffs are always risky, so some companies may not survive if they're not bolstered by economies of scale. As of writing, there's no word on who will pick up the brands being divested under this scenario. And, keep in mind none of this is official. Volkswagen hasn't commented on the report. We'll update this developing story as more information becomes available.

Bugatti finishes Divo development, prepares to start customer deliveries

Bugatti introduced the limited-edition Divo at the 2018 edition of the champagne-soaked Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, but bringing it to sunny California was only half the battle. The small French company spent two arduous years fine-tuning the model before it could begin production. The development process is finally done, and Bugatti announced the first examples will soon be delivered to customers around the world. It's no secret that the Divo (pictured) is based on the Chiron, but there are enough differences between the two models to warrant a two-year development cycle. It's notably 77 pounds lighter, and it generates 198 additional pounds of downforce. It was designed with handling in mind, so it's capable of holding 1.6 g around a corner. The tradeoff is that its top speed checks in at 236 mph, which less than what the Chiron achieves. Bugatti engineers relied on computer simulations to get a head-start on setting up the chassis; they had access to parameters like the amount of load on each axle before the first prototype turned a wheel under its own power. They then carefully adjusted the suspension and re-tuned the steering to make it sharper. Test mules covered over 3,100 miles on testing grounds, race tracks (including the Nurburgring), and public roads. From a design standpoint, the Divo borrows styling cues from some of the projects Bugatti previously worked on but canceled. It's not all about style, though; many of the changes are also functional. The redesigned front spoiler adds downforce, the air vents chiseled into the front end increase airflow, and the 72-inch-wide wing helps keep the rear end planted to the ground when going around a bend. Engineers even tweaked the roof panel. View 16 Photos "The Divo is entirely different to drive than the Chiron, even though both are fitted with the powerful W16 engine," Lars Fischer, Bugatti's head of chassis testing and application, said. He added it's faster and more predictable to drive through corners, yet it remains relatively comfortable to drive daily. Forty examples of the Divo will be assembled by hand at Bugatti headquarters in Molsheim, France. Pricing starts at ˆ5 million, a sum that represents $5.4 million. Enthusiasts who want to add one to their collection will need to shop used, because every example was spoken for before the model was unveiled to the public.  "Every Divo customer owns a Chiron, knows what the brand stands for and is a true Bugatti enthusiast.

Watch the 1,500-hp Bugatti Chiron engine thrashing in a test rig

Making sure the Bugatti Chiron is "Ring-Proof" takes a lot of testing. This rig, built by Bugatti's engineering and testing partner AVL-Schrick, demonstrates the hypercar's heart beating wildly while it's subjected to the g-forces it would experience on the Nurburgring. The footage was tweeted by James Mills of The Sunday Times. Oil starvation is one of the key issues a car manufacturer has to tackle when making sure its product can withstand track time. For example, the Group B rally car derived all-aluminum XU9J4 engine in the first edition of the Peugeot 405 Mi16 suffers from oil starvation in prolonged track use in long corners. Due to insufficient oil pan baffling, the engine oil isn't evenly distributed when g-forces work their magic. By the time the 2.0-liter iron block XU10 version of the engine was rolled out in the facelifted car, the oil pan featured specially designed ports and baffles that restricted the oil's movement, making the engines less susceptible to crankshaft damage when driven spiritedly on a track. Not seen this before: @Bugatti engine rig simulates a flat-out run of the @nuerburgring, #chiron #hypercars pic.twitter.com/pwu6IpVQKq — James Mills (@squarejames) March 18, 2017 But in that case we're talking about a 150-horsepower car, and the quad-turbocharged, W16-engined Chiron has 10 times as much power. When it was new, the engine in the $20,000 Peugeot reportedly cost the manufacturer nearly $5000 to produce, per unit. One imagines the Bugatti engines are far, far more expensive, and damaging one at a race track due to a manufacturer oversight must be a nightmare, hence this specially designed rig to iron out any Chiron bugs. Related Video: Image Credit: James Mills Plants/Manufacturing Bugatti Supercars Videos viral video Bugatti Chiron