Bugatti’s new V16 hybrid hypercar is all systems go for June 20 launch

Bugatti’s all-new hypercar will be revealed to the world on June 20, launching the brand to a whole new electrified era. Being just the third all-new model in Bugatti’s modern history under the VW umbrella, this new car will replace the Bugatti Chiron and bear the stamp of the firm’s new CEO, Mate Rimac, in its use of electric motors.  

The new Bugatti has been teased in an online video and Bugatti’s distinctive aesthetic doesn’t look to be at risk under the new regime. Clearly inspired by the brand’s long heritage of boldly-styled super sports cars, it features a very clear horizontal piece of brightwork running up a long and narrowing bonnet that leads to a typical horseshoe grille that now looks bigger than ever. 

The engine will not to sit behind the horseshoe in a classical front-engined sense, as we do know that a brand new V16 unit will be mounted behind the cabin. It will be the first such engine to be sold in a production road car in 88 years. This blank-sheet engine design will join a coalition of three further electric motors to create a whole new level of performance, even for Bugatti. 

We know precious little detail otherwise, but can speculate that the hybrid system might be set up in a similar layout to that found on the Lamborghini Revuelto, in which there’s an e-motor mounted between the engine and transmission, with the further two mounted on the front axle. 

There’s also good reason to believe that the V16 engine will be naturally aspirated, suggesting the hybrid system’s ability to augment the torque curve, as it does in the Lamborghini.

This new V16 replaces the quad-turbocharged, 8.0-litre W16 that arrived with the legendary Bugatti 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.

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.  

As for the V16 engine itself, a teaser video has shown-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”. 

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