Bugatti plans to reveal its successor to the Chiron later this year, a car that will pack a hybrid powertrain featuring a newly developed V-16 engine as its internal-combustion component.
The V-16 engine has been undergoing testing since late 2022, Mate Rimac, head of the automaker's Bugatti Rimac parent company, revealed recently in a Facebook post.
The post included photos of prototype engine components that Rimac said were from last November.
He also revealed that engineers already had "full engines running on dynos at that time."
Bugatti V-16 prototype image posted by Mate Rimac on Facebook
Bugatti confirmed V-16 power for the Chiron successor in a teaser released at the end of February. The new hypercar is scheduled to be revealed in June, with production due to start around 2026.
No further details have been announced, but the next Bugatti is expected to retain the mid-engine layout and carbon-fiber monocoque construction of its Chiron and Veyron predecessors. Rimac also said in 2022 that the next Bugatti hypercar would be a hybrid, so news that the V-16 will be electrified isn't a huge surprise.
Bugatti V-16 prototype image posted by Mate Rimac on Facebook
Achim Anschiedt is responsible for the design of the car. Anschiedt led Bugatti design for the past two decades but stepped down last year after signing off on the new hypercar. He stayed on to help finalize the car's design at the request of Rimac.
Rimac is the founder of the Rimac Group, known for its electric powertrain technology. He became head of Bugatti Rimac in 2021 when that company was created as a joint venture between Porsche (previous steward of Bugatti) and the Rimac Group to oversee the running of the Bugatti and Rimac brands. So it falls to the founder of a company that has dealt exclusively with EVs to launch the first production V-16 engines in decades.