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Bugatti Chiron to pack 1,500 electrically turbocharged horses

For a car capable of unprecedented speeds, the Bugatti Veyron sure has stuck around a long time – but it's almost gone. And that means it's time for the Alsatian marque to move on to the next thing. Fortunately, according to Automobile magazine, Bugatti has been working on the Veyron's successor for about four years now. And though Bugatti has kept pretty quiet on the details of what its next hypercar will entail, the publication's well-informed European correspondent Georg Kacher has some tasty details on the followup to one of the most famous automobiles of the modern age. For starters, the Veyron successor is expected to carry the same 8.0-liter quad-turbo W16 engine as its predecessor – only with much more power. Where the original coupe and Grand Sport roadster produced 1,000 horsepower and the Super Sport and Vitesse packed 1,200, the followup is tipped to ratchet up the horse-count to a whopping 1,500 hp. That headline figure is being enabled by the use of direct injection and higher-pressure turbochargers – at least two of which are expected to be electrically powered for immediate response. The result is an anticipated 0-62 time of under 2.5 seconds and a top speed of 288 miles per hour – 18 miles faster even than the record-setting Super Sport. Active aero will keep it stable and carbon-ceramic brakes, operating in tandem with the rear-wing air-brake, will keep it all in check. The cabin is tipped to be more spacious and ergonomic while offering easier ingress, egress and outward visibility than the Veyron. And this time around, it'll be lighter weight and with a greater emphasis on more nimble handling. We're told to still expect Bugatti to revive the Chiron name used earlier on the concept (pictured above) that previewed the Veyron back in 1999 and which originally belonged to Louis Chiron, one of the most decorated racing drivers from the marque's hey day. Unfortunately Automobile reports that the launch of the new Chiron has been pushed off from 2015 to 2016. But rather than leave the factory in Molsheim with nothing to do, word has it that Bugatti could extend the Veyron's life by creating a Speedster to be produced in strictly limited numbers and with an even higher price tag. Related Video:

Volkswagen may 'carve out' Lamborghini to list on the stock exchange

FRANKFURT — Volkswagen is drawing up plans to set up Lamborghini as a more independent unit, and is discussing long-term supply deals that could make it easier to list it on the stock exchange, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. "Volkswagen is in the process of carving out Lamborghini, and to organize future supply and technology transfer deals," one of the sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The Italian sportscar brand, which is currently a division of Audi, could be partially listed, with Volkswagen retaining a controlling stake, the first person familiar with the talks said. There is no formal decision to divest Lamborghini, a second source said, adding that the timetable of any deal remained unclear. "This is a first step which gives VW the option to list the unit further down the line," the second source told Reuters. A third source familiar with the discussions said the future of Bugatti, Lamborghini and Ducati was discussed during a supervisory board meeting last Friday. The possibilities for how to electrify the Lamborghini and Bugatti brands through partnerships and investors was discussed, the third source said. Bankers and potential cornerstone investors in an IPO have been approached by the carmaker, the sources said. Volkswagen declined to comment. Volkswagen Group's Chief Executive Herbert Diess on Wednesday said the carmaker will announce "important steps" about the company's future before the close of the year. Volkswagen is reviewing what role its high-performance brands Lamborghini, Bugatti and Ducati will play within the multi-brand carmaker as part of broader quest for more economies of scale, senior executives told Reuters. A global clampdown on combustion-engined vehicles has forced carmakers to accelerate development of low-emission technology for mainstream models, leaving Volkswagen managers struggling to find resources to electrify low volume sportscar models. Related Video:

2017 Bugatti Chiron gets EPA fuel economy rating

There's no doubting that the new Bugatti Chiron is a beautiful marriage of beauty and brawn. But for a cool $2.998 million there are, shall we say, more practical supercars (stop laughing) to whisk you to Davos or South Beach. Put simply, the Chiron's fuel-economy ratings, released Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency, are absurd. Sure, the 1,500-horsepower roadster's quad-turbocharged, 8.0-liter 16-cylinder engine delivers 1,180 foot-pounds of torque, has a top speed of 261 mph and does 0-to-60 in 2.3 seconds (watch it run up to 218 mph, here). Certainly impressive. But there's a tradeoff: a measly 11 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving. That's 9 mpg in the city and a whopping 14 on the highway. That equates to an estimated annual fuel cost of $3,800, averaging $6.26 in gasoline — premium gasoline, no less — for every 25 miles driven. With a 9.1-gallon fuel tank, you'd be hard pressed, while zooming down the PCH or Autobahn, to squeeze out 100 miles before you'd need to find a filling station. Still, it's a slight upward tick from the Bugatti Veyron, which the EPA rated at 10 mpg combined. Bugatti says the W16 engine represents a 25 percent increase in performance compared to its predecessor, with nearly every single part of the engine examined and newly developed. Included are four turbochargers that are 69 percent larger than on the discontinued Veyron. Somehow we doubt that the miserly fuel economy ratings will hurt the supercar's prestige. Back in November, Bugatti design director Achim Anscheidt told Autoblog that the Chiron's uber-exclusive clientele owns an average of 42 cars in their impossible-to-imagine garages (plus 1.7 jets and 1.4 yachts, to boot). With that many hot wheels, it's safe to say the Chiron wouldn't rack up the miles too quickly. Related Video: Featured Gallery Bugatti Chiron: First Drive View 67 Photos News Source: EPAImage Credit: Bugatti By the Numbers Green Motorsports Bugatti Fuel Efficiency Luxury Performance Supercars Bugatti Chiron