Bugatti's second model line, a vehicle separate from the Chiron and its derivatives, may be a very different animal.
The brand's CEO, Stephen Winkelmann, foresees Bugatti building an electric daily driver, he said in an interview published Wednesday on Bloomberg. The executive shared the car would have a far less expensive price than the Chiron and boast the best characteristics in the segment. What that segment would be is up in the air, but it sounds like Bugatti may deliver a sedan after years of contemplation. Yet, don't let the phrase "far less expensive" conjure thoughts of a truly affordable Bugatti. Winkelmann added it will have a "top-line price" to match the best-of-segment qualities. Even at that, we can't think of another car that would compete against an electric Bugatti sedan.
2009 Bugatti Galibier 16C Concept
Such a car would likely skew more toward luxury than performance as the CEO said top speed wouldn't be much of a priority.
It's easy to expect such a car would borrow from the VW Group's growing chest of electrification and battery-electric technologies. The automaker has committed to launching a whopping 70 electric cars by 2028 across its multiple brands. They include Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Bentley, and more. Bugatti could easily dig into the bin for its own electric vehicle.
What the next model line won't be is an SUV. Winkelmann ruled out an SUV in January and said such a vehicle would not do the brand justice.
2009 Bugatti Galibier 16C Concept
A November 2017 report from Automobile linked some of the clues together. The report claimed Bugatti and Lamborghini were looking to greenlight a plug-in hybrid car with a 2+2 layout. Both of these cars were said to rely on technology from the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid. Thus far, that report has been correct about other product plans. It named Audi as next in line to receive an electric car based on the J1 platform via the Porsche Taycan. Last year at the LA Auto Show, the Audi e-tron GT concept dropped. Lamborghini has also hinted it wants to pull the trigger on a sedan of its own in a few years, and that corresponds with the 2017 Automobile report as well.
The information has a good track record thus far, and if it continues to ring true, we'll likely see a plug-in hybrid or fully electric Bugatti sedan sometime next decade. Bloomberg noted, however, that Winkelmann has to get the approval of the board of directors first, so don't look for an electric Bugatti for at least a few years.