As Veyron production winds down, Bugatti announced the appointment of a new chief operating officer (COO) for its American operations. Maurizio Parlato took over the position February 15. He replaced John Hill, who is retiring after serving as Bugatti's Americas COO for six years.

Parlato comes to Bugatti from Lotus, where he served as CEO of Lotus Cars USA and global sales and marketing director of Group Lotus. Prior to that, he held several management positions at Ferrari and Maserati, including president and CEO of Ferrari North America.

At Bugatti, Parlato will be responsible for sales and marketing in North and South America. Bugatti has a total of 13 dealers on the two continents, which constitute a very important market. Bugatti reckons that about a quarter of all Veyrons sold go to the U.S. and Canada.

Veyron production is nearing an end. The entire run of 300 hardtops has sold out, and only a handful of the 150 order slots for the open-roofed Grand Sport and Vitesse remain. However, despite the introduction of limited-edition "Legends" models, consumer enthusiasm has dimmed.

You'd think it wouldn't be hard to sell a car like the Veyron, but Bugatti has resorted to organizing Dynamic Drive Experience events to get potential buyers behind the wheel. Regardless, Bugatti expects the Veyron to sell out by the end of the year.

What comes next is unclear. A successor is reportedly in the works, but Bugatti boss Dr. Wolfgang Shreiber has said that it won't be a Veyron-topping supercar, or the 16C Galibier sedan. In fact, the next Bugatti may not eclipse the current Veyron Super Sport's top speed. it's also not expected to arrive for some time after Veyron production ends.

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