(Autobild.tv)
Bugatti is hard at work developing a successor to its Veyron, a new hybrid supercar that’s rumored to be called the Chiron. Today, we have our first look at a prototype for the Veyron successor.
This video, from Auto Bild TV, shows two prototypes traveling together with a Veyron Super Sport and a BMW i8. The inclusion of the i8 is odd, to be sure, but it may hint at the refinement Bugatti is chasing for its own hybrid technology.
Earlier spy shots only showed a test mule for the Veyron successor, with the new car's mechanical bits hidden inside the body of a current Veyron Super Sport. These new prototypes, though heavily masked, give us our first glimpse at the form of the Veyron successor.
The new supercar is expected to feature a lighter and more rigid version of the carbon fiber monocoque chassis (with aluminum subframes) of the Veyron, along with the Veyron’s existing quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W-16 engine and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Sandwiched between the engine and transmission, however, is expected to be a powerful electric motor.
The 8.0-liter W-16 currently produces 1,184 horsepower in its most potent setting but with the addition of a new fuel injection system, the electric motor, and perhaps even electrically-driven turbochargers, we could see output boosted as high as 1,500 horsepower and 1,106 pound-feet of torque. While these might seem like impossible numbers for a production car, recall that rival supercar marque Koenigsegg has just launched its Regera with 1,500 hp and 1,475 lb-ft of torque.
And with 1,500 hp on tap, the Veyron successor is said to be capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph in just 2.0 seconds, down from 2.5 seconds in the 1,184-hp Veyron Super Sport. Top speed, meanwhile, is said to be as high as 288 mph, or about 20 mph faster than the land speed record-holding Veyron Super Sport.
The debut of the Veyron successor, whatever it's called, is expected to take place next year, possibly at the Paris Auto Show.