Ground-pounding 2008 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 (base) on 2040-cars

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Bugatti looking to make elongated electric luxury car

Bugatti has been a one-trick pony for awhile now, but that could be changing in a few years. Car reports that the French supercar maker is working on an electric luxury car, due in 2023. The report claims Bugatti will use an elongated version of the platform Porsche is building the Taycan on. Plenty of changes would be made to make it worthy of the Bugatti name — adding copious amounts of carbon fiber and other lightweight exotic materials wouldn't be out of the question, since Bugatti doesn't have to worry about a price point like Porsche does. It also needs to differentiate itself considerably from others under the Volkswagen umbrella to be taken seriously. Car posits that this luxury barge could bring back the Royale name from the early twentieth century. Solid-state battery tech is not ready for production cars yet, but it's speculated that we could see the tech used as replacement for lithium-ion in this car. With no definitive timeline for solid state battery deployment, we'll maintain a healthy level of skepticism for now. Bugatti CEO Stephan Winkelmann spoke of the potential luxury car to Bloomberg at the Geneva Motor Show, too. He claimed the battery-electric car would be more affordable than the brand's usual fare. "There, I would see us doing a battery electric vehicle," Winkelmann said. "There, the balance between performance and comfort is much more important, and it's about daily usability. This is what I see." We don't see Bugatti axing the Chiron and whatever will replace it sometime down the line, so this next car will mean the brand would finally have two concurrent model offerings. Winkelman said the company's priorities for its future cars are changing, with top speed being much lower on the list of priorities, as well. "In Bugatti's future, maximum speed does not play the leading role any more," Winkelmann said. "From now on, we are going to put an emphasis on ultimate overall vehicle dynamics, lightweight and modern sustainable luxury." We've no doubt Bugatti will be able to find homes for nearly anything it produces. Bugatti told Bloomberg that the average Bugatti customer has 42(!) cars parked in the garages of what we can assume are various homes all around the world. Why should those folks have to commute in a stuffy old Rolls-Royce when they could be in a Bugatti?

Bugatti's Chiron successor will make its debut on June 20 with V16 power

Bugatti built the final Chiron, a Super Sport model called L'Ultime, in May 2024. We won't have to wait long to find out what's next: the brand has already announced that the Chiron's successor will get a new V16 engine, and it confirmed the model will make its debut on June 20. Little is known about the model — its name hasn't even been revealed yet. We're guessing it will inaugurate a new nameplate rather than land as, say, the second-generation Chiron, though this is pure speculation. What's certain is that the model will be new from the ground up. The quad-turbocharged W16 engine that has powered every Bugatti since the brand's revival will join the pantheon of automotive history. Instead, the Chiron's successor will use a new V16 engine developed in-house. The 16-cylinder will be part of a hybrid system, and Bugatti has previously described its next hypercar as being "heavily electrified." The chassis will be entirely new as well, so it will be interesting to see how Bugatti manages to offset the weight added by the hybrid system. For context, the Chiron was built largely out of carbon fiber. Achim Anscheidt, Bugatti's former head of design, previously told Autoblog that starting the project on a blank slate allowed his team to fine-tune the car's proportions."[The car] will certainly be tailored to one or the other aspect of a hybrid," he explained. The interior will evolve as well, but don't expect wall-to-wall screens. "Bugatti models need to sit on the lawn at Pebble Beach in 50 years and work," he summed up. While nothing suggests the Chiron's replacement will go retro, Bugatti notes it rummaged through its catalog of past models for inspiration. The Type 57 SC Atlantic, the Type 41 Royale, and the Type 35 all shaped the new car. The French brand considers the first two its most beautiful and its most luxurious cars, respectively, and the latter is widely credited as one of the most successful Grand Prix cars ever raced. Bugatti will stream the unveiling on its YouTube channel, and Autoblog will be there live to bring you fresh images of the car. Bugatti Luxury Performance Supercars

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport on 'Ring for record attempt?

The December 2005 issue of Australian motoring mag Wheels said the Bugatti Veyron lapped the Nürbugring in 7:40 in traffic. In the intervening years, depending on which list you consult, that particular time would leave the Veyron behind as few as 11 or as many as 38 other cars. Bugatti was quiet about it, but the company is quiet about almost everything that doesn't involve a new special edition or straight-line speed.
Among the other things Bugatti has neglected to publicize is the presence of a factory-plated Veyron Super Sport caught doing recon laps at the 'Ring. This might or might not lead to any publicly declared lap time, but even if it does, none of us should expect a miracle. A five-percent improvement would be colossal, and colossally unlikely - there are just as many curves at the 'Ring now as there were in 2005, and the massive Veyron SS still isn't made to take them. But say the Alsatian supercoupe did cleave 23 seconds off the lap, that would still leave it at 7:17, two seconds behind the Donkervoort D8 RS, one second ahead of the Porsche GT2 RS.
So now that the pressure's off, let's just say we'll be happy with any time the Veyron SS turns in so long as we get some in-car video to take the virtual ride. Scroll down for some video of the supercar on the track. Sounds beastly.