Bugatti 16C Galibier Concept
Bugatti chief executive Stephan Winkelmann is working to have a second model line up alongside the Chiron, and both four-door sedan and SUV body styles are being considered. Currently however, the balance tips in favour of the latter, according to Autocar.
“We would look at every body style and regional demand and not put our money into something that is fading,” said Winkelmann when asked by the magazine if a second model would be a sedan or an SUV. Before Winkelmann’s appointment to the post of CEO, Bugatti had worked on a four-door concept named Galibier, though his remark that the three-box body shape is fading suggests a change in design direction.
The latest to emerge from the marque is the Divo, a model derived from the Chiron albeit one that places a premium on agility and handling at the cost of outright top speed, down to 380 km/h from 420 km/h. The 8.0 litre, quad-turbo W16 powerplant with 1,500 PS remains, though the Divo weighs 35 kg less than the Chiron and sports 90 kg more downforce.
Winkelmann’s previous tenure at the helm of Lamborghini saw the conception of the Urus, while further afield in the luxury segment, Bentley has the Bentayga and Rolls-Royce entered the circle with the Cullinan.
Other priorities within the greater Volkswagen Group meant that development of a second Bugatti model had to take a back seat to efforts for autonomous technologies and electric vehicles, the report said. However, considerations for a model line expansion has been revisited as profitability of cars like the Chiron proved that low-volume luxury models can make money for the company, it added.
GALLERY: Bugatti Chiron
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