New Bugatti V16 hypercar: Mate Rimac gives us our first look
The successor to the Bugatti Chiron has been teased under the covers
Bugatti’s replacement for the Chiron is coming and after confirmation that it’ll use a V16 engine, we’ve been given our first sneak peek thanks to Bugatti CEO Mate Rimac.
With the car shown still hiding under a cover, there’s not much to ascertain from this initial teaser image, aside from the sleek profile. A crease in the cover hints at a large opening for the engine’s air intake to the side - like we saw on the Chiron.
A previous teaser video confirmed that the next hypercar from Bugatti will be powered by a V16 engine - replacing the iconic quad-turbocharged, 8.0-litre W16 that arrived with the legendary Veyron and was retained in the Chiron. Bugatti calls its new V16 “a new automotive pinnacle” and a “pure embodiment of Bugatti’s DNA”, so it should be good.
In the official announcement from Bugatti, the engine is also confirmed to be hybridised - although it isn’t known to what extent the hybrid power will be implemented. There’s no mention of turbocharging with the V16, however, and in the short clip of the engine revving through the gears it doesn’t sound like it incorporates any form of forced induction.
The outgoing Chiron produced 1,479bhp and 1,600Nm of torque in its most ‘basic’ form and we expect similar numbers from the next-generation hypercar, even without turbocharging. We expect the hybrid part of the powertrain will be developed by Bugatti’s owner Rimac. Power should not be an issue if the hybrid system utilises electric motors to drive the wheels, the Croatian electric hypercar maker is able to extract up to 644bhp from a single electric motor in its Nevera hypercar.
As for the V16 engine itself, the video shows off not only the top section in full - complete with the firing order on display, but copious amounts of carbon too. Bugatti previously said the new car will be a “homage to the three strands of Bugatti history – Speed, Luxury and Elegance”. Mate Rimac, CEO and founder of Rimac Automobili has already shown off the new car back in November at a private event and we expect a full unveiling sometime in 2025.
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