Bugatti $4M Tourbillion Supercar: What We Know

Bugatti has entered the EV market with a bang, announcing its Tourbillion supercar with a $4 million price tag.

CNN is reporting that the hybrid car, whose concept was released on Thursday, June 20, will replace the Chiron in the lineup. The Chiron had a $3.3 million price tag.

“Icons like the Type 57SC Atlantic, renowned as the most beautiful car in the world, the Type 35, the most successful racing car ever, and the Type 41 Royale, one of the most ambitious luxury cars of all time, provide our three pillars of inspiration,” said Bugatti Rimac CEO Mate Rimac in a statement announcing the new car. “Beauty, performance, and luxury formed the blueprint for the Tourbillon; a car that was more elegant, more emotive, and more luxurious than anything before it. Quite simply, incomparable. And just like those icons of the past, it wouldn’t be simply for the present, or even for the future, but pour l’éternité–for eternity.”

The company has been moving toward electric vehicles since it split from Volkswagen and merged with Croatian EV manufacturer Rimac in 2021. However, the CEO noted that he “never had any intention of making an all-electric Bugatti,” according to CNN. The company’s designers and engineers aimed to craft a vehicle that preserves the essence of mechanically driven Bugatti cars, but with an upgrade — an “insanely powerful plug-in hybrid.”

Let’s take a look at what else we know about the new Bugatti.

Bugatti Tourbillion: Every Bell and Whistle

The new Bugatti Tourbillon will have a massive 16-cylinder gas engine, just like the Bugatti Chiron and Veyron models did before it. Three strong electric motors will support the engine, which was created in collaboration with the British race car engineering company Cosworth. At least 800 horsepower will be produced independently by the car’s two front motors and one rear motor. According to Bugatti Rimac, the Bugatti Tourbillon will have a maximum power output of 1,800 horsepower.

“We wanted to make the most exciting, most emotional combustion engine possible,” Mate Rimac said in a statement to CNN, “and that is high revving, naturally aspirated.”

The lack of turbochargers in the new gas engine will be somewhat compensated for by the electric motors. Four turbochargers on the Chiron’s gas engine forced air into the system to increase power output. According to Mate Rimac, they intended for this new engine to be “naturally aspirated,” which means turbochargers would not be used.

The car can go roughly 37 miles on electric power alone with a fully charged battery before the gas engine needs to start up again, but the driver can choose to run the gas engine constantly.

The company also said that it was inspired by Swiss watchmakers for its luxurious timekeeping display and incorporated the Swiss method of timekeeping in its design.

What’s Next for the Company

Bugatti isn’t afraid of the recent failures of companies like Fisker, which filed for bankruptcy protection. The company wants to sell off its assets and restructure its current debt, according to the filing that was made on Monday, June 17.

“Like other companies in the electric vehicle industry, we have faced various market and macroeconomic headwinds that have impacted our ability to operate efficiently,” the CEO stated in a press release released on Tuesday, June 18. “After evaluating all options for our business, we determined that proceeding with a sale of our assets under Chapter 11 is the most viable path forward for the company.”

Bugatti, however, has a great deal of history in the market and has no shortage of cash reserves, so losing money isn’t a concern.

The Bugatti factory in Molsheim, France, will continue to assemble the cars one at a time. Mate Rimac stated that just 250 Tourbillons will be produced, with a starting price of about $4 million each.