Bugatti is said to be developing an all-new model to sit alongside the Chiron hypercar in its range. According to Bloomberg, this will be either an all-electric Grand Tourer or a crossover.
While recently speaking with the publication, Bugatti chief executive Stephan Winkelmann said that the French car manufacturer is having discussions with the Volkswagen Group about approving the investment for such a new vehicle. It could be drastically more affordable than the Chiron or any current Chiron-based models, priced from between 500,000 euros ($553,925) and 1 million euros ($1.1 million).
Winkelmann is looking to ensure that Bugatti is viable enough to potentially survive outside of the VW Group, should the German conglomerate ever decide to alter its ownership of Bugatti as it simplifies its portfolio in a new era of electric vehicles and autonomous driving technology.
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The executive says Bugatti is “earning decent money” these days and is looking to increase its cache as a luxury brand following its record-setting top speed run with a Chiron prototype earlier this year. Currently, Bugatti builds about 100 vehicles per year and the addition of a four-seat crossover or grand tourer to its range could boost this output by more than 600 additional vehicles annually.
Moreover, Volkswagen chief executive Herbert Diess has been pushing the company’s flagship brands to generate better returns. Last year, he mapped out a plan to pool Bugatti with Bentley, Lamborghini, and Porsche into a so-called super-premium group.
Bugatti has been toying with the idea of release a second model to complement its flagship hypercar for many years. In fact, it presented the 16C Galibier concept some 10 years ago as a potential hyper saloon that could have been sold alongside the Veyron.
