The industry is incredibly fast-paced right now, but does Bugatti operate in a separate bubble?
Our day-to-day struggles are completely different to a premium car brand. But the challenges of the future are touching us, such as digitalisation or electrification, if we look into a wider model range. It would be a given for a hypothetical second model.
What are your thoughts on self-driving cars?
I don’t see it as touching Bugatti for now. I always try to be honest and say we don’t have to be the first but when we do something, we have to be the best. I’m for assisted driving because it makes life easier and less boring. No-one is buying a Bugatti because it’s an autonomous car.
What are the most important elements of digitalisation for you?
For Chiron, it’s the basics, it’s about driving. It can’t be a mobile office. For me, it’s the weather forecast and the real-traffic situation. It has to be something that helps a driver get to a destination in the best and safest way possible.
What are you driving at the moment?
I have a Panamera Sport Turismo. I drive Bugatti models frequently to see the latest things, but other than that, I change my car once a year. I worked a lot for Audi, so I like an RS.
The current Bugatti line-up
Chiron
The successor to the Veyron, the first modern Bugatti, the Chiron debuted at the 2016 Geneva motor show with an 8.0-litre, quad-turbocharged W16 engine capable of 0-60mph in 2.4 seconds and an electrically limited top speed of 261mph. Prices started at €2.4 million, and production was limited to 500 cars.
A track-focused Chiron Sport followed in 2018, which saw extensive use of carbon fibre to reduce weight by 18kg, stiffer suspension and a torque vectoring system for improved handling in tight corners.It carried a $400,000 premium over the standard Chiron
The limited edition 110 Ans Bugatti arrived in 2019 to celebrate the marque’s 110th anniversary. Based on the Chiron Sport, it used carbon fibre bodywork and had the colours of the French flag placed prominently on the underside of the rear wing. Production was restricted to just 20 cars.
The Chiron Super Sport 300+ is currently the ultimate Chiron, built to mark the company’s record-setting 300mph top speed record run. It as a more powerful W16 engine, tuned to 1578 horsepower, along with substantial modifications including new front and rear bumpers optimised for high speed aerodynamics, a revised gearbox with longer ratios and raw carbon fibre body panels. Deliveries won’t begin until mid-2021, with only 30 cars scheduled to be built.