Bugatti could be working on a second "everyday" model

The boss of the supercar maker defends the creation of a more practical Bugatti and rules out hybrids but not electrics.

A future electric model from Bugatti would move away from the manufacturer’s core hypercar business and would instead offer a more practical vehicle, but with the performance and ultra-exclusivity for which the brand is famous.

“If we talk about a second model like Bugatti,” said Bugatti CEO Stephan Winkelmann, “I am convinced we don’t have to make a car that is only for the weekends.” This is a car to be used every day. It has to have a different shape from the Bugatti Chiron and a different mission.

“If we do something outside the sports car business, there will be a model that is not in the direction of the W16. In my opinion, electrification would be the right approach.”

A second Bugatti model has been under debate for a long time, and it is likely to be an SUV or a four-door GT, but Winkelmann has repeatedly stated that the board of the Volkswagen Group has not yet made a decision. “For Bugatti, it is a good opportunity and could be a winner. But I also see that a large group like the Volkswagen Group has many priorities. It is in the middle of an electrification revolution and must decide where to spend its money.

Could Bugatti develop a luxury car for daily use?

“A second model would mean doubling the size of the company or more. It is clear that we need a 100% commitment from everyone, it is not enough for me to be convinced!”

While sharing platforms across the group is common, for example, Audi and Porsche share electric platforms, Bugatti would create its own. Winkelmann commented on the possibility of sharing platforms: “This is not the case for a car with the performance of a Bugatti.”

He added that repeatable acceleration and top speed would be far more important than range for a fully electric Bugatti. “I would rather have reserve performance than keep the range at a high level,” he said.

Charging is another major barrier, Winkelmann said, adding that charging times for electric cars would need to be equivalent to filling up a combustion car. He pointed out that “we would sell electric cars where the infrastructure is better: the east and west coasts of the United States, the UK, Asia, etc. Beyond that, our customers have more than one car, to say the least, so they do not depend on one particular car.”

Adding a higher-volume model than the Chiron would not affect the exclusivity of Bugatti and, more importantly, its resale values, Winkelmann believes. “If we are talking about a car that would be in the low thousands, we are talking about 300 cars in the United States, 300 cars in Europe, 300 cars in Asia, etc. At the end of the day, there would be close to zero visibility [of these cars], so there would be no impact [on exclusivity]. It is not going to be a car that is perceived as a commodity or something that is not exclusive enough.” Winkelmann does not believe in hybrid technology for Bugatti models, and only wants to use internal combustion engines or fully electric motors. “It is my belief: you will never have cutting-edge technology [with a hybrid]. Today, with the mindset, it is clear that the infrastructure.”

He added that there is a new generation of customers entering the business who “expect things that, today, we are not even talking about as a fact.”

Winkelmann also referred to the earlier work of founder Ettore Bugatti. “We have to look back at history because when Ettore Bugatti made the sports car, he made every possible body style, engine and price segment. He did much more than you see today, and I believe the roots are important.

“At the beginning of this century, nothing had happened at Bugatti for a long time. It was good to position the brand with the hypercar, but if you look at Ettore’s history, he really did a lot. We are at the beginning, but being small, we take things step by step and always have to prove that what we are doing is right.”