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Bugatti confirms new Chiron to debut in Geneva

Few followup acts have ever been as highly anticipated as the successor to the Bugatti Veyron, but the wait will be over in a few months. Bugatti confirmed Monday that the new supercar will be called the Chiron, and it will debut next year at the Geneva Motor Show. Bugatti did not announce specifications, though the Chiron is sure to be a technical tour-de-force and a world-beating supercar. It is widely expected to further evolve the package developed for the Veyron. That will center around the 8.0-liter W16 engine, this time expected to use electric turbochargers for a mild hybrid setup, little to no turbo lag, and an output anticipated to approach 1,500 horsepower. Combined with lower weight (thanks in part to the more widespread use of carbon fiber), all that muscle is tipped to rocket the Chiron to 62 in less than 2.5 seconds and on to a top speed of around 288 miles per hour. All the automaker will confirm at the moment, however, is that the "Bugatti Chiron will be the world's most powerful, fastest, most luxurious and most exclusive production super sports car." Expect the design to closely mirror that of the company's Vision Gran Turismo concept, albeit in a more elegant and less racy form. The lines are anticipated to be dominated by the semi-circular curve encompassing the main rear vent and the trailing edge of the greenhouse. The front end will be more angular with sharper headlights, but still dominated by the signature horseshoe-shaped front grille. As for the name, Bugatti has – as expected – drawn once again from its illustrious pre-war racing history to name the supercar after one of its most legendary gentleman drivers. Louis Chiron remains the only Monegasque driver ever to win the Monaco Grand Prix, counting it among his numerous career victories. Those included more grands prix before and after World War II, as well as the Spa 24 Hours and the Monte Carlo Rally. Bugatti previously applied his name to the 18/3 Chiron concept that previewed the Veyron with an even larger 18-cylinder engine at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1999. It only strikes us as fitting, then, that the name now be resurrected for the Veyron's successor. Read more about Louis Chiron's life and career – including an interview with his descendant and biographer Lydie Barre-Chiron – in the press release below, accompanied by the images in the gallery above.

Bugatti targeting two-second 0-62 mph time, 14 mpg for Chiron

Car magazine has put a couple more outrageous numbers to the automobile expected to be called the Bugatti Chiron in honor of Monegasque racing driver Louis Chiron. We've already been looking forward to a 25-percent jump in output to 1,500 horsepower compared to the final-run Vitesse coupes; Car says that the torque target is 1,106 pound-feet, which would be unchanged from the last Veyron models. Those numbers will put indisputable distance between the Chiron and the trio of supercars that have surrounded it. They could also allow the Chiron to do the 0-100 km/hr run - note, 62 mph, not 60 mph - in 2.0 seconds. That would be four-tenths of a second under the Vitesse models, and would put the Bugatti more than 0.6 seconds ahead of the McLaren P1, more than 0.5 seconds ahead of the Porsche 918 with the Weissach Package, and more than 0.5 seconds ahead of the Ferrari LaFerrari. There has been talk about "lighter weight" and "more nimble handling," but sticking with the basic Veyron form, even when 92 percent of the components are said to be new or revised, means we shouldn't expect miracles. But big changes are being made to make the Chiron kinder in urban environments, and that will include gas mileage. Our own EPA gave the Veyron a rating of 10 miles per gallon combined, Car says the Chiron is going after 14 mpg with those electric turbos as well as regular old luxury car tech like cylinder deactivation and economy car tech like direct injection. We wonder if the recent departure of Volkswagen Group Chairman Ferdinand Piech, father of the Veyron, will end up making more changes to the car; he was the one who delayed its arrival to next year because he wanted more done to it. At the moment, we're apparently looking at a kinder, gentler Bugatti that will slay everything - in a straight line, at least.

2019 Bugatti Chiron Sport is more hardcore with better handling

Bugatti has created a hotter version of the Chiron called the Chiron Sport. How does Bugatti make the monstrously powerful Chiron even more extreme? Well, it doesn't have anything to do with greater power or speed. The car has the same 1,479 horsepower. Instead, Bugatti focused on improving handling by upgrading the chassis and making it lighter. It's not much lighter, mind you. Bugatti only shed about 40 pounds from the standard Chiron. This was done with lighter wheels, glass and more carbon fiber components. Bugatti seems to be most proud of the car's carbon fiber windshield wipers, which Bugatti claims is a first for production cars. They are actually fairly impressive, weighing 77 percent less than the standard ones. They also use 3D-printed aluminum in the tips. They should go nicely with Bugatti's 3D-printed titanium brake calipers. In the handling department, Bugatti addressed the suspension and drivetrain. The shocks are now stiffer, and the steering has been retuned. The all-wheel-drive system now features torque vectoring to direct power to either side. Between the weight savings and new suspension, Bugatti claims the Chiron Sport lapped the Nardo handling track 5 seconds faster than the standard model. The Chiron Sport also brings along visual changes to make it completely clear that this is not some run-of-the-mill Chiron. It's available in a limited selection of colors for the front end including red, blue, silver and dark grey. These are coupled with an exposed carbon fiber finish for the tail of the car. The front color is then carried over to the big "C" design element that is finished in aluminum on normal Chirons, and to other elements such as the bottom of the rear wing and the contrasting "16" in the grille mesh (which, we must add, makes it look like it's suiting up for a basketball team). The wheels are unique to the Sport, as are the quartet of round exhaust outlets. The interior is made darker and more serious thanks to a liberal use of black anodized aluminum switchgear, and black leather and Alcantara. If the harder-core Chiron Sport is exactly what you've been looking for in a hypercar, you'd better have some serious bank, specifically $3.26 million. There won't be too long of a wait for it, though, since Bugatti expects to deliver the first ones at the end of the year. Related Video: