Bugatti may build a hybrid successor to its 1,200-hp Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse. The new model will beat the 431kph top speed of Bugatti’s Veyron Super Sport since the Veyron Super Sport lost the title of the world’s fastest production car in February this year to the Hennessey Venom GT.
The two-door model may rely on a 1,500-hp, 16-cylinder engine and will probably be limited to about 450 cars, the same as the outgoing Veyron.
Bugatti, owned by Volkswagen Group, has developed the blueprint for a 2015 follow-up model to the USD1.7 million limited-series Veyron that may sell out this year, sources at VW said. New Bugatti CEO Wolfgang Duerheimer favors a hybrid version of the brand’s next model, the sources said on condition they not be identified because the matter is confidential.
Ultra luxury nameplates such as Ferrari, McLaren and Porsche are embracing electric powertrains after being on the cutting edge for years in upgrading chassis and engine electronics while striving to trim CO2 emissions. Hybrid systems used in McLaren’s P1 model and Porsche’s 918 Spyder work to boost performance and fuel economy.
VW acquired the Bugatti brand in 1998 along with Lamborghini and Bentley Motors to create a stable of high-end carmakers. VW doesn’t break out Bugatti’s earnings in quarterly or annual reporting, but a company source says the brand has been losing money for years on high development costs for the Veyron. Under VW’s reign, the super luxury brand, which traces its roots back to Italian-born car designer Ettore Bugatti, started production of the Veyron series in 2005. Some 430 of the 450 planned models have been sold, the spokeswoman said.
