The next generation of Bugatti should abandon the mythical W16 engine and become hybrid, according to Mate Rimac, CEO of Bugatti-Rimac.
Bugatti has been integrating for almost two decades the fabulous W16 engine in its hypercars, Veyron, Divo and Chiron especially. But for the next generation, the manufacturer from Molsheim (Alsace) will abandon this architecture for the hybrid.
The near end of the mythical W16
Mate Rimac, CEO of the new Bugatti-Rimac joint venture, has just announced the news in an interview with our colleagues d’Automotive News Europe. According to the manager, Bugatti will take advantage of the know-how of Rimac, a Croatian manufacturer of electric supercars, to offer a hybrid engine adapted to performance but also to environmental standards. Indeed, the 16-cylinder thermal of the current Bugatti is already almost twenty years old, and it comes from old engines of the Volkswagen group, parent company of Bugatti. Thus, even reworked, it should no longer be in accordance with the increasingly strict standards.
The future engine of the replacement for the Chiron will therefore be “highly electrified, but […] very attractive “ according to Mate Rimac. He adds : “Given the brand, the customers and the technology available, I think we are developing the best possible solution for Bugatti, which is not an electric car today. It will be someday, but not today ». The thermal Bugattis therefore still have a few good days ahead of them before going 100% electric.
Photos: Bugatti
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