Second Bugatti
New Chiron sibling is ready to go
Bugatti has decided the form its second model to sit alongside the Chiron will take – but the decision on whether or not it will make production now rests with the Volkswagen Group.
Company boss Stephan Winkelmann hasn’t confirmed the model type, but it will be usable every day and bring a new bodystyle to the brand – likely therefore to be a high-performance crossover. Winkelmann was in charge of Lamborghini when it created the Urus, so has experience in diversifying performance brands in this direction.
Winkelmann told Autocar: “The brand is ready for the second car, but it’s not me to decide.”
The second model would have to be “a real Bugatti in the segment, or create one” and be “a reference for other manufacturers”.
The new Bugatti is likely to use electric power, according to Winkelmann, who said: “This technology will be in our reach.” When asked if it would use solid-state batteries that provide greater energy density to offer the kind of performance a Bugatti would demand, he added: “You have to create a car that’s flexible and can be adapted to the latest technology.”
Winkelmann expects battery technology to improve over the next couple of years to become viable for a Bugatti, and said of customers: “There will be an acceptance of electrification now the first cars are coming.”
The model would not detract from the Chiron, which would remain Bugatti’s ‘halo’ model and flagship. “There is a disconnection from one to the other. It will be below the Chiron but on top of every other model,” added Winkelmann, confirming only that it would cost less than the Chiron’s £2.5 million price.
Any model yet to be signed off will still be several years from production, the earliest realistic launch date being 2022. Asked when Bugatti would be ready to go with the project, Winkelmann said: “Immediately. I’m ready. We’ve worked a lot, we want a second model. There is no pressure; there is such high demand from brands in the group. Let’s see.”
Adding a new model line to a range, rather than replacing an existing one, is a tougher process in the VW Group, said Winkelmann. “As long as you exchange models, it’s easy,” he explained. “If you add, it’s tougher.”
Bugatti produced a fastback concept back in 2009, but the firm is understood to be unconvinced that a saloonstyle vehicle would be as appealing as a sleek crossover.