Two words no one expects to hear used together: Veyron Hybrid.
It might be happening.
Just a few years ago, if you had suggested that Bugatti would build a replacement to the Veyron using a hybrid drivetrain, you might have been committed. But in that time, some of the most respected names in supercar performance have rolled out hybrid hypercars, so that should take some shock off news that Bugatti is hard at work on a hybrid Veyron replacement.
According to Reuters, two individuals within VW Group have confirmed a hybrid drivetrain will be employed in the next Bugatti supercar. Bugatti’s new CEO, Wolfgang Duerheimer, apparently favors the idea of a hybrid setup in their next model – this is according to a source that asked to remain anonymous.
Predictably, the new Bug’ will have 1,500 horsepower and reach speeds higher than the current Veyron’s 268 mph. With the current fuel economy regulations, and fuel costs, it would be rather difficult to pull that off without a hybrid system. Furthermore, vehicles like the Ferrari LaFerrari, McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 have all proven that bonkers-high-speeds can be achieved using hybrid systems.
(U-M study shows fewer people dying on U.S. roads. For more, Click Here.)
It is still unclear what kind of powertrain the Veyron-replacement would employ, but we salivate at the thought of a W-16, quad-turbo that has a few hundred more horsepower (and pound feet of torque) via the addition of electric components.
(Click Here for details about Acura going all in with new TLX.)
What we don’t salivate over is the potential price of one of these environmentally friendly rockets. The current crop of aforementioned competitors starts at $845,000…and only goes up from there. In fact, a customized version of the P1 sold for $2 million in Dubai last year. A plain old Veyron – if there is such a thing – already starts at $1.7 million.
(To see more about VW’s plans to top 10 million in global sales this year, Click Here.)
Save those pennies!
If you’re in the market for one of these exotic toys I doubt the price is an issue.