Filed under: Supercars, Bugatti
Bugatti to release Veyron successor by 2012, considers racing program
With its quad-turbo W16 pumping out over 1000 horsepower and reaching speeds in excess of 250 mph, surpassing the Bugatti Veyron is no mean feat. Many have tried, but few have succeeded. Yet that is exactly what Bugatti's own engineers will have to achieve when it comes time to replace the Veyron with its successor.
What form that successor would take has been a subject of great debate and continued speculation. At first it was rumored to go downmarket as a roadster. Then it was expected to be a four-door. A lightweight exotic was said to be under development, while its new corporate overlords at Porsche seemed keen to relegate the marque altogether to coachbuilder status. In an emerging interview for Holland's AutoTelegraaf, however, CEO Franz-Josef Paefgen revealed that Bugatti is preparing to launch a new model to replace the Veyron in 2011 or 2012, and that despite restricting emissions and fuel economy regulations around the world, the new model would have to stand up to the performance standards set by the Veyron. Design will follow along the same theme as the Veyron, while Bugatti also considers a racing program, although what championship it would contend remains the subject of further speculation.
[Source: AutoTelegraaf via Motor Authority]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
tanjim 7:10PM (7/06/2008)
Maybe they should try their hands at aviation like Honda recently?
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jack 7:23PM (7/06/2008)
wow... i don't think any car can really pass the veyron (but seems like bugatti is gonna prove i'm wrong)...
any way the veyron will always be a great car history legend in my opinion...
i really can't wait till 2012 ....
well at least i can start saving money from now....
by the way im the first to comment eat that! :P
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HotRodzNKustoms 7:27PM (7/06/2008)
nope 2nd
Cypher09 8:14PM (7/06/2008)
"by the way im the first to comment eat that! :P"
FAIL
Mobius_1 9:26PM (7/06/2008)
Nobody (except for maybe a few) expected Bugatti to be able to make the Veyron, heck, even Top Gear were making fun of its numerous delays, until they drove it finally. I have no doubt that if Bugatti put their mind to it, they WILL make a better car
btw, fail
HotRodzNKustoms 7:33PM (7/06/2008)
If the development of the Veyron is anything to go by it will be 2022 by the time you can buy it.
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Chase 1:47AM (7/07/2008)
Sorry to nitpick, but I found a small semantical error: "you" is the incorrect pronoun; we, the people who read autoblog comments, will only ever drive a Bugatti in our best fantasies. :(
HotRodzNKustoms 2:27AM (7/07/2008)
that is nitpicking haha
usapilatuspilot 7:42PM (7/06/2008)
It would be very nice to see Bugatti get back to motorcar racing.
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A good idea... 2:47AM (7/07/2008)
F1 has an opening coming up. If I remember correctly, Red Bull can only have 1 team after 2009, right?
If so, F1 would be the absolute pinnacle of engineering and would aim directly at the wallets of thousands everywhere. Especially in the UAE. I'd be interested in seeing what thety can come up with.
I'm not sure if papa Porsche would allow it though. It might make them look bad in the sporting world if the parent company is shown up on all levels in the auto world.
Hike15 7:57PM (7/06/2008)
it would be interesting to see vw go into f1 or a major racing series under the bugatti name
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Michael D. 8:53PM (7/06/2008)
I'm really glad to see Bugatti moving forward - there's much investment in it's bespoke powerplant. I am hoping that the successor(s) would a Royale-type sedan and shared on the platform of teh next-generation Bentley Anarge, and perhaps the platform spawing an Atlantic-type coupe, maybe a Veryon successor could be in place along with those models, as the halo vehicle. They all could share the V16 powerplant.
I've heard and read things on this before, I do hope it's correct and it materializes.
Flashpoint 9:00PM (7/06/2008)
It really doesn't make sense to be focused on another supercar that does 253 when its very impractical to even use a car like that.
I think what many people would be hungry for is a Bugatti that cost less than $200K.
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Artie Lange 1:19AM (7/07/2008)
A Bugatti that costs less than 200k is an oxymoron; the whole point of the brand is ostentatious exclusivity.
Blake 1:39AM (7/07/2008)
Impractical? I guess you have a point. I know when I go supercar shopping, my top selling point is practicality. Can I take the kids out on the weekend in this? How much space do I have for groceries? Fuel economy?
The Veyron was was built for speed and luxury. There's a certain practical aspect with the Veyron in that not only can it go over 250 mph, but you can drive it most places you travel to in comfort. And not only that, but making a Bugatti that sells around $200k puts it in a range that becomes more and more diluted my known and lesser-known brands seemingly everyday. The engineering in the Veyron simply puts anything in a $200k price range to shame.
You don't buy a Bugatti for practicality, because it's attractive or priced competitively with other supercars. You buy it for being an engineering masterpiece, speed, exclusivity and ,of course, bragging rights.
Chase 1:47AM (7/07/2008)
Yeah, they have Audi, Lambo, and Bentley for that bracket. Bugatti is supposed to cater to the kind of people who make filthy rich people look like peasants.
wonkydonkydotnet 9:26PM (7/06/2008)
I agree.
A Bugatti "California" or "V8 Vantage" would be much more interesting.
btw, isn't Bugatti actually losing money on the Veyrons or something? -where did I hear that...?
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Mobius_1 9:32PM (7/06/2008)
They lose around 1 million pound (somewhere in this region) per car, as the Veyron is a VW Group tech showcase and not built for profit
I truly admire this spirit, and the rather crazy VW boss
Chase 1:49AM (7/07/2008)
I simply can't wait until this next one rolls around.
I've always thought that Bugatti could get away with selling the Veyron for $10,000,000. Sure, you could almost buy a private jet for that much, but only the kind of private jet that the "less fortunate" would have to suffer through owning...
But really, the Veyron is simply the fanciest car that exists. So many of those hundreds of billionaires in the world have enough vanity to not make due with anything less than the absolute best -- and $10 million is still chump change to them.
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BAMF 3:36AM (7/07/2008)
seriously... like the guy in Dubai who bought a Veyron, and then spent like 3 times as much on his license plate.... wtf