It has been long rumoured that the hypercar fancy folks over at Bugatti were considering development of an all-new second model to sell in the lineup. Despite record sales on the back of the new Bugatti Chiron, the Covid-19 pandemic has stalled any plans for the future car.
Bugatti President Stephan Winkelmann, who moved over in 2018 from in-house pals Lamborghini and Audi Sport, confirmed to Bloomberg TV that the boutique automaker’s development team had done work on a potential second model.
The boss cited market instability due to the global Covid-19 pandemic for added pressure ahead of an important upcoming financial review from Bugatti parent-company Volkswagen Group as a factor in halting development of the new car. From Bloomberg:
The decision was prompted by the damage inflicted on the car industry by the Covid-19 pandemic, Bugatti chief Stephan Winkelmann said in a Bloomberg TV interview. Despite the outbreak, the carmaker expects to generate record revenue this year, Winkelmann said.
“We had talks about a second-model lineup,” Winkelmann said. “This was now blocked due to the coronavirus crisis; we’re not talking about what’s coming next.”
But it’s not like Bugatti has anything worry about, at least financially, as its sales have led to likely-record revenue for the year despite the global turbulence, according to Winkelmann:
The year 2020 “may be the best year ever” for the Molsheim, France-based boutique manufacturer even as the virus crisis held back growth, Winkelmann said. The robust order book through next year “gives us peace of mind,” he said at the presentation of a new Chiron version dubbed Pur Sport that sells for a net price of 3 million euros ($US3.5 ($5) million).
All cars to be produced this year and between 70% and 80% of planned output in 2021 have already been sold, according to Winkelmann.
You would think confident sales (given the current global conditions with original outlooks thrown out) would inspire growth, like a jump to a two-model lineup to increase volume. Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that Bugatti was recently reported to be on the trading table, supposedly with parent-company VAG interested in selling it off to supplier and electric hypercar startup Rimac. Maybe all of Bugatti’s future is on hold for a sale, pending the little piggy ever makes it back from the market.
If the $US3.5 ($5) million two-door Chiron Pur Sport hypercar is currently selling just fine, what do you want to see Bugatti hypothetically follow it up with? The developers were most likely considering a crossover after their plans for a sedan, uh, fell through. Crossovers make money and money is louder than your peasant internet comments. But maybe the consumer confidence in Bugatti’s hypercar roots will keep things… dramatically low to the ground when the brand returns to a more optimistic outlook. I’m not going to cross my fingers for a multi-million dollar car from a company that is, in every regard, doing just fine. As a company for the rich, I say make your money, spend your money.