Bugatti is not in the business of manufacturing entry-level vehicles. Its cheapest model, the Chiron, costs ten times as much as the Ferrari 488 GTB, mere pocket change compared to models like the track-honed Divo or the recently announced one-off “La Voiture Noire”. It may then come as a surprise that in a recent interview with Bloomberg, Bugatti president Stephan Winkelmann announced the intention to introduce a more affordable model to the company’s line-up.
In the world of multi-million-dollar vehicles, the term “affordable” should be taken in context, as Winkelmann then goes on to say that it would be a “best-in-segment daily driver with a top-line price to match”. He added that “face-melting speed” would be less of a priority, with the balance favoring comfort over performance and a stronger emphasis being placed on daily-usability. He said that electrification is another possibility with the new model, with access to the vast resources of the VW Group. It’s likely that Bugatti would customize the technology already used in the Porsche Taycan to keep development costs in check.
Winkelmann would not divulge any further information on this upcoming “entry-level” model and he will still need to get his proposal past the board at Volkswagen, whereafter it could still take a number of years to develop the car. Who will such a vehicle appeal to? According to a Bugatti spokesperson, the average Bugatti customer already owns 42 cars, so it is probable that the new model would be added on to existing Chiron and Divo purchases as a sort of automotive tender, a plaything to keep at one of the beach house perhaps. Mere millionaires may consider it as a stepping stone to fully-fledged Bugatti ownership, while Bugatti themselves could use it as a development tool to transition the 1500hp Chiron to electric power when the time is right.
Images courtesy of Bugatti
