Bugatti’s Chiron has only just arrived but a decision on a successor will have to be made soon as development will have to start in 2019.
Why the rush? Because the rate at which Bugatti is building the Chiron, approximately 70 cars per year, means all 500 planned examples will have been completed around 2024.
While one might assume the successor will simply be a faster, more powerful car, Bugatti boss Wolfgang Dürheimer says the decision has not yet been made on the type of car and that a sedan envisioned by 2009’s Galibier 16C concept was still possible.
"The 4-door car is not dead," Dürheimer told Automotive News at last week’s 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show.
He also revealed that Bugatti is unlikely to have more than one model line, so if a sedan is approved it will be the sole model on sale at the brand which today is recognized for world-beating sports cars.
Dürheimer also revealed that the longer any decision can be delayed the better as advancements in battery technology are accelerating so rapidly. He explained that all options are on the table for Bugatti’s next car also in the area of powertrain, be it internal combustion only, hybrid or pure electric. Performance, of course, will be at the top of the list of criteria, since this is the “ultimate” expectation of Bugatti’s customers, Dürheimer added.
