When Bugatti teased the new V16 that will go into the successor to the Chiron, the early word was that the new coupe would still be recognizable as a Bugatti. We have Top Gear to thank for proof, the magazine scoring an image of a prototype and posting it to X. The design trademarks are there — low nose rising to hug the front wheels, the C graphic along the side, thin light bar stretched across the rear, and a whopping deployable wing. Looks like the new monocoque underneath has been lowered and stretched compared to the current car, though. The front overhang is longer, the curve of the C has been pulled back like a bow string at the top, and there’s a noticeably larger span of sheetmetal between the diagonal of the C and the rear wheel arch. Also, that C design element cuts higher through the side of the car, about two-thirds of the way down the door instead of just above the rocker panel. And it’s tough to make out details through the camo, but the doors have new lines, too.
This is your first look at Bugatti’s V16-engined successor to the Chiron. We’ve got hold of a spy shot of Bugatti’s next hypercar, and it looks… colourful → pic.twitter.com/RMmfcJkp6c
— Top Gear (@BBC_TopGear) April 26, 2024
In back, the current horizontal line of a taillight is curved in two dimensions to follow the coupe’s rear edge. The latter third of the car gives us Super Sport vibes, the standard Chiron variant that channeled the Super Sport 300+ created to hit 300 miles per hour, especially in the rear diffuser area.
Part of the extra length could be about fitting the new hybrid and quad-turbocharged V16 powertrain. The Chiron’s yet-unnamed successor will use a plug-in hybrid system, Rimac-Bugatti previously describing the power unit as “heavily electrified.” This suggests (though nothing is official) that the model will be capable of running on electricity alone for relatively short distances. If other super sports cars are useful indicators, all-electric running might last no longer than ten kilometers or so. Rumors about that the ICE portion is an 8.3-liter unit developed with the help of Cosworth, aided by three electric motors that make 335 horsepower apiece. That suggests not only appreciably more horsepower than the 1,578 in the Chiron, but all-wheel drive.
We’ll find out on June 20, when the new car is anticipated to debut at Bugatti’s Molsheim, France HQ.
