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Bugatti considering electric four-seater as second model

Bugatti's long-rumored additional model could run on electricity rather than gasoline, according to a recent report. The company is tentatively planning a downward expansion without diluting its image. Downward is a relative term when spoken in the same sentence as Bugatti. The company isn't interested in chasing volume with an alternative to the Volkswagen GTI. Instead, Bloomberg wrote it's envisioning an electric four-seater priced between 500,000 and one million euros, sums that represent about $555,000 and $1.1 million, respectively. Bugatti CEO Stephan Winkelmann told the publication that convincing parent company Volkswagen to fund the model requires a "hard fight," however. "The industry is changing fundamentally, and we have to address what opportunities there are to develop Bugatti as a brand going forward," he explained. Releasing a second, cheaper model would mark a dramatic shift for the prestigious automaker, which has stuck to a one-core-model strategy since its renaissance in 1998. The EV could bump its annual output from about 100 to 600 cars. Winkelmann was the driving force behind the Urus when he ran Lamborghini, which has led to speculation that Bugatti's second model will be an SUV. Speaking to Autoblog, a spokesperson for the company again doused cold water on the rumors. "It would not be an SUV," we learned. The representative stressed nothing has been decided yet, so it's still too early to tell precisely when the second model would enter production if it receives the proverbial green light for production. Less than 100 Chiron build slots remain available, but the French company has its work cut out for the coming years. It will deliver the first of 40 planned examples of the Divo in 2020, send the one-off La Voiture Noire to its mysterious new home in 2021, and build the first of 10 Centodiecis (pictured) in 2022. Additional Chiron variants (like the record-breaking 300+) aren't out of the question, either. The idea of an electric Bugatti isn't without precedence. In 1931, company founder Ettore Bugatti built a battery-powered runabout named Type 56 to drive on his property. It was never meant to be a production car, but requests from wealthy clients (including Belgian king Leopold III, who wanted one for his wife Astrid) convinced Bugatti to make 10 examples between 1931 and 1936. Four remain in 2019, including one in original condition that Autoblog got the opportunity to drive in 2018.

Koenigsegg demolishes Bugatti's brand-new 0-400kph-0 record

Last month, we told you how a Bugatti Chiron, driven by Juan Pablo Montoya, set a new record for accelerating from 0 to 400 kph (248 mph) and then braking back to 0, all done in 41.96 seconds. Well, that record didn't stand for long — it was just annihilated by a Koenigsegg. Christian von Koenigsegg decided to take a crack at the record as a means of performance-testing a new Agera RS he was about to deliver to a U.S. customer, this one with an upgraded engine making 1,360-horsepower and 1,011 pound-feet of torque. The hypercar was so factory-fresh, in fact, it still had industrial tape protecting its leading edges. After some lower-speed test runs (an Agera RS is typically tested at up to 186 mph), Koenigsegg's team took the car to Vandel, a former Danish military airbase that now serves as a big solar-energy farm, for the big run on Oct. 1. Some fascinating numbers about the record run, with factory driver Niklas Lilja at the wheel: Lilja went from 0 to 400 kph to 0 in 36.44 seconds, beating the Chiron's record by a whopping 5.52 seconds. (The Chiron's total time was 41.96.) Koenigsegg says its data show that the car engaged traction control in the first three gears, the final time at 113 mph. The car hit the 248 mph goal in 26.88 seconds over 1.21 miles. (The acceleration phase took Montoya in the Chiron 32.6 seconds.) Braking to 0 mph took 9.56 seconds and 1,584 feet. (The Chiron braked in 9.3 seconds.) Though the Agera RS' record time for 0-400-0 was was 36.44 seconds, that does not factor in the fact the car went a wee bit past 400 kph, to 403, or 250 mph, before Lilja hit the brakes. If you include that sliver of time, the overall run was 37.28 seconds. But it isn't counted in the record. Total distance covered was 1.57 miles — on a 1.7-mile runway. For more details, Koenigsegg describes the run on his blog. Related Video: Auto News Bugatti Koenigsegg Technology Coupe Performance Videos Bugatti Chiron koenigsegg agera rs juan pablo montoya

Bugatti says an emphatic 'no' to SUVs

Last we heard from Bugatti President, Stephen Winkelmann, the French supercar company had plans for a Bugatti SUV in the future. Today Winkelmann is dashing any such notion emphatically. In a report issued by the company discussing its 2018 performance, Winkelmann declared, "There will be no SUV from Bugatti. An SUV would not do justice to the brand or its history." That sounds pretty clear cut and definitive to us, so consider Bugatti the second supercar manufacturer to disavow the high-riding body style. McLaren is the only other dog in this fight opposing the proliferation of crossovers and SUVs — and for that we salute you, McLaren. The Lamborghini Urus is out and about, and Ferrari's version of an SUV is hot on its heels. Now that the Bentley Bentayga and Rolls-Royce Cullinan exist, they can cater to the luxury crowd, too. We can be glad Bugatti isn't going down the same path as all these other companies. However, Winkelmann didn't rule out any kind of a luxury sedan body style for a future vehicle. The brand has firmly cemented itself in the performance arena with the Veyron, Chiron and more recent Divo variant, but these cars are still only produced in extremely small quantities. For reference, Bugatti says it produced all of 76 Chirons in 2018. A total of 500 are planned through 2021. This appears to be fine for now, as Bugatti hasn't hinted that is is trying to expand. Bugatti happens to be celebrating its 110th anniversary in 2019, and it promises a few surprises in the form of "the presentation of further models." Bugatti has a tendency to come out with even faster versions of cars some years after debuting a car that's ridiculously fast already, so we could be looking at further derivations of the Chiron. That said, we can always hope for even more models and be content knowing that none of them will be a utility vehicle. Related video: