The successor to the Bugatti Chiron will not feature a version of the automaker’s famous quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W16.
Bugatti recently took off the wraps to the W16 Mistral at the Monterey Car Week and confirmed that it will send off the W16. There had been some speculation that the brand’s next hypercar could feature an electrified version of this engine but this has since been confirmed to not be the case.
While recently speaking with Autocar about the vehicle, Bugatti design director Achim Anscheidt said the presence of a smaller engine will provide new opportunities for the design team.
“It offers opportunities,” Anscheidt said. “There are opportunities to get just a bit more athletic for the shape of Bugatti in the future without losing the general gesture of generosity or sovereignty. It will also have its constraints, because of performance and performance needs. But we know every centimeter of our cars so well by now that we know exactly where [change] would help us and where it would create a problem.”
Specifics about the new Bugatti powertrain are limited, other than the fact that it will be electrified. It is safe to assume that it will have fewer cylinders, fewer turbochargers, and a smaller displacement than the current W16. The engine will also likely have less power as the car will receive supplementary grunt from the hybrid system.
While Bugatti deputy design director Frank Heyl refused to be pressed on specifics about the car, he said that it will be “even more amazing” than the Mistral.
“It’s going to be amazing, proportionally, technologically, in terms of innovation, in terms of unexpectedness. It’s going to blow people out of the water completely, and it’s a true joy to work on this,” he said.
