The $2 million Bugatti Chiron is not a car that anyone would call efficient. Equipped with a quad-turbo, eight liter, 16 cylinder engine, the 261 mph beast is capable of an EPA estimated combined gas mileage of just nine miles per gallon.
As electrification becomes the norm across the auto industry from pedestrian brands like Toyota and Honda to supercar powerhouses like Ferrari and Lamborghini, it would be natural for Bugatti to develop a hybrid engine of their own — but with their own twist.
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Bugatti on February 29 showed off its brand new engine – a V16 hybrid powertrain intended for the successor of the Chiron. The announcement, which the brand dubbed “pour l’éternité,” (or “for eternity” in English) the new engine is Bugatti’s way of saying that the marque intends on building record-breaking, big-engined cars forever.
Though Bugatti has disclosed very few details about the engine, sources who spoke to The Supercar Blog claim that the new hybrid powerplant will consist of an 8.3-liter engine developed by Cosworth, which will be able to make at least 1,800 horsepower when paired with three electric motors.
Bugatti’s new partial owners Rimac is known for making record breaking electric hypercars, and is keen on injecting some its DNA into Bugatti’s cars. In an interview with Automotive News Europe, Rimac founder Mate Rimac said that a unique vision was required for cars bearing the Bugatti badge.
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“The easiest thing for us would be to take the Nevera, slam a Bugatti logo on it, and call it a day, but I was against it. I’m an electric car guy, but a Bugatti should still have a combustion engine for some time,” Rimac explained. “[The car] will be heavily electrified, but we’ll have a very attractive combustion engine. When people see the next-generation Bugatti, I think they will be surprised that I was pushing for something like that because people associate me with electric cars. But, I have always been a performance guy and a car freak.”
Bugatti is expected to release its next model in June 2024.
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