The Bugatti Chiron will make its global debut at the Geneva motor show in March 2016 as the replacement to the Bugatti Veyron, the manufacturer has confirmed.
More than 100 orders have been placed for the supercar which takes its name from Louis Chiron, a Bugatti Grand Prix racer in the 1920s and 1930s who won the 1931 French Grand Prix with the manufacturer.
The Chiron was previewed by Bugatti’s Vision GranTurismo concept showcased at the Frankfurt motor show, and the new hypercar prototype was spotted testing in California recently in minimal camouflage. The Chiron is currently undergoing initial conceptual engineering tests in a programme that will see the car make its debut in 2016 prior to planned customer deliveries the following year.
A few probable customers were shown the car as part of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
The Chiron is believed to wear a more striking and sportier look, and feature new active aerodynamic functions that aim to provide varying levels of downforce depending on the driving mode chosen.
The Veyron replacement is set to adopt a heavily updated version of its predecessor’s turbocharged 8.0-litre W16 engine which will channel power to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and multi-plate-clutch four-wheel-drive system. However, the big news centres around plans to provide the new Bugatti with hybrid drive by way of a disc-shaped electric motor mounted within the gearbox housing and a lithium-ion battery.
The fuel efficiency will also be improved with new direct-injection combustion process replacing the multi-point injection system. The Chiron is believed to produce power in the region of 1479bhp, according to officials. There are also rumours about Volkswagen engineers looking at electric turbochargers for the Chiron which will further improve the already colossal torque.
Major efforts are also being made to ensure that the weight of the new car remains well below that of the 1,840kg Veyron Super Sport. The Chiron aims to beat the Veyron Super Sport’s blistering 0-100 time of 2.5secs to 2.3secs and achieve a top speed of 460kph. However, proving the top speed could be tricky due to the challenges in finding a test site long enough, and for tyre technology to support such a high-speed run.
As with the Veyron, production of the Chiron will be limited to about 450 units and it will challenge the Pagani Huayra and Koenigsegg One:1.
Doug Revolta
Uday Singh
Dipan Sur
Glenn Noronha
Viraaj Bhatnagar
