It may seem that every car maker is moving towards electrification, with new EV models and concepts dominating almost every auto show. Despite the market trend, there are still holdouts in the industry revolution, and it seems like boutique hypercar maker Bugatti is one of them.
According to a report by Autocar UK, Bugatti President, Stephan Winkelmann said, “I see the internal combustion engine as having a considerable future,” and the company will continue to build cars with what he considers to be the best way of powering cars, at least for the next decade.
However, he added that when the time comes for an electrified Bugatti, “it will not just be for a push from the market but it will be the best in the market.”
Winkelmann’s comments came at the Los Angeles auto show, after a showing of the Bugatti Chiron. Despite recently setting the record for the fastest production car, Winkelmann was adamant that the brand will “not just reduced to being about top speed”.
After setting the record, Bugatti has announced their withdrawal from competing for the world’s fastest cars. Winkelmann notes that “The Chiron has much more than that. It’s acceleration, handling, a power to weight ratio, comfort, styling, beauty, and in time being a collector’s item.”
On a slightly contradictory note, Bloomberg reported that Bugatti is plotting a second model line of vehicle, and it might be an electric-powered grand tourer or SUV to be priced below 1 million euros.
In the Bloomberg account, Winkelmann said that “The industry is changing fundamentally, and we have to address what opportunities there are to develop Bugatti as a brand going forward.” However, Winkelmann also acknowledged that it will be a “hard fight” to secure funds (from the Volkswagen group) for such a niche project.
Will we see an electric Bugatti soon? Only time will tell.
