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Bugatti announces V16-electric hybrid drivetrain for Chiron successor

Bugatti sent off the quad-turbocharged W16 engine that has powered all of its 21st-century models with a limited-edition, 1,600-horsepower roadster named Mistral. Rumors about what could power its future cars ran rampant; the brand confirmed a hybrid system for the Chiron's successor, and some sources detailed a downsized engine. Ending years of speculation, Bugatti has announced a new 16-cylinder engine. The difference is in the prefix: the Veyron, the Chiron, and few-off models like the Divo all used a W16 engine, with cylinders arranged — as the name implies — in a W configuration. The new unit will have a V configuration. Put another way, think of the W16 as a pair of narrow-angle V8s and of the V16 as a pair of straight-eights. Bugatti isn't the first company to build a V16 engine, Cadillac famously used one in the 1930s and BMW experimented with one in the 1990s, but there's not a single V16-powered new car currently on the market.  Bugatti stopped short of revealing technical specifications, so we'll need to be patient to learn details such as the engine's displacement and power output. However, the French brand reiterated what we already knew: the V16 will be part of a hybrid powertrain. Here again details are vague, but Autoblog learned that the Chiron's yet-unnamed successor will use a plug-in hybrid system. Rimac, which owns Bugatti, has previously described the drivetrain as "heavily electrified." This suggests (though nothing is official) that the model will be capable of running on electricity alone for relatively short distances. It looks like carbon fiber will play a significant role in offsetting the hybrid system's weight. Achim Anscheidt, Bugatti's former design director, told Autoblog in 2022 that the Chiron's successor will "certainly be tailored to one or the other aspect of a hybrid" in terms of design. The model will be built around a new monocoque, which gives the design team now headed by Frank Heyl the freedom to dial in new proportions. Don't expect a radical change, however: the car will still be recognizable as a Bugatti. Bugatti will unveil the Chiron's successor in June 2024, and we expect to learn more about the model in the coming months. Related video:

Bugatti Chiron roadster could be in the works

Regular reversals make it hard to tell what Bugatti will do next. In 2018, the Molsheim, France-based carmaker said it wouldn't go after the 300-mph mark, screaming from the mountaintop that would be "missing a big part of what the [Chiron] is all about." Not even a year later, a modestly reformed Chiron reached 304.773 mph at Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessien test track, the feat spun into the $5.19M Chiron Super Sport 300+ and, more recently, the $580,000 Jacob Twin Turbo Furious 300+ wristwatch. In 2019, Bugatti said "There will be no SUV." Eight months later, Bugatti revealed it had already designed a crossover, and that "some potential customers have seen it, and they liked it." If The Supercar Blog is correct, we could have another take-back on our hands. In 2016, Bugatti pronounced the Chiron would get "no roadster or convertible" version. Since then, the closest accommodation the Chiron makes to open-air motoring is the fixed Sky View roof panels. But TSB sources told the outlet "Bugatti does intend to build" a Chiron roadster. It's not clear if this would be a one-off like the La Voiture Noire or a limited run like the Divo or Centodieci, but TSB states Bugatti is "reportedly gauging interest in a one-of-a-kind open-top variant." A one-off roofless screamer is one of Bugatti CEO Stephan Winkelmann's go-to maneuvers, though. When Winkelmann ran Lamborghini, he commissioned designers to work up the Aventador J roadster for the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, later selling the car's birth as a customer commission. The following year, he presided over the creation of the single-seater, targa-top Egoista for the brand's 50th anniversary. Bugatti has a much deeper roadster tradition than Lamborghini, offering plenty of material to pull from that designers have so far barely mined. With a rumored price of ˆ9 million ($10.1M U.S.), Bugatti's roofless hypercar wouldn't be a 'mere' targa-ficiation of the Chiron mimicking the Veyron Grand Sport. The asking price is a nice condominium beyond the ˆ8 million ($8.9M U.S.) sought for the Centodieci, the EB110 homage limited to ten units, and a good deal less than the $18.7M sum needed for the La Voiture Noire.   If there's any truth to this, guesswork says Bugatti's either doing up a roofless roadster in the vein of the Bentley Bacalar or a speedster in the Ferrari SP1 mold. More detail than that will need to wait until another source pipes up, or Bugatti decides to drop hints.

The Bugatti Baby II is a three-quarter-scale Type 35

Bugatti ownership is about to get a lot more affordable — particularly for children with indulgent parents. The French supercar company has announced the Bugatti Baby II, a follow-up to a model produced from 1927 to 1936. Like the original baby Bugatti, a model originally built for the 4-year-old son of Ettore Bugatti, the Baby II is modeled after the Type 35 grand prix car. The Baby II is only about 1/100th of the price of the Chiron Sport at 30,000 Euro (about $33,700). And because it's a three-quarter-scale replica rather than the original's half-scale, it's possible for adults and not just children to squeeze behind the wheel. Finished in French Racing Blue (although other colors can be specified), the Baby II also features eight-spoke aluminum wheels, a leather driver's seat, and an aluminum-trimmed dash displaying a numbered plaque. On the hood is Bugatti's "Macaron" badge, rendered in solid silver, just the thing for the silver-spoon set. As with the original, the Baby II features an electric powertrain and rear-wheel drive, although here it has been upgraded to incorporate a lithium-ion battery, regenerative braking, and even a limited-slip differential. Whereas the full-size Chiron supercar has 1,479 horsepower from its 16-cylinder engine, the smaller-scale Bug is somewhat less powerful, with an electric motor offering 1.3 horsepower in "child mode," which is good for 12 mph; an "adult mode" increases output to just over 5 hp and raises top speed to 28 mph. But just as the Chiron offers an optional Speed Key that unleashes the powertrain's full potential, so too does the Baby II — in this case 13 horsepower with no speed limiter. Typical for Bugatti, production is limited. Only 500 units will be built, about the same number as the 1920s–'30s original. Related Video: