Last year, Porsche and Rimac reached an agreement to create a joint venture through which to control the historic firm Bugatti, which until then belonged to the Volkswagen Group. Rimac has a 55% stake in the joint venture and Porsche 45%, although it should be noted that the German company in turn owns 24% of the Croatian manufacturer.
Since Rimac is a specialist in the creation of 100% electric hypercars (which is why brands like Pininfarina have resorted to its technology when developing their products), many assumed that this movement would mean the rapid electrification of Bugatti. , which for the last fifteen years has used a complex W16 engine in all its models.
Nothing could be further from the truth, because Bugatti will only launch hybrids at the moment, something that has disappointed those who expected Rimac to promote a strong transformation in Bugatti. “At the moment, we are looking at the next step for the hybrid model; everything else is too far away,” explains Bugatti Design Director Achim Anscheidt.
“It would be almost irresponsible towards our beloved customer base [to look beyond the next model]”. The first hybrid of the historic French company will hit the market in 2027. It is confirmed that it will not keep the Chiron engine, although we should not rule out that it ends up using a Porsche source propellant.
Bugatti will focus on hybrids first
Although Bugatti was initially expected to also launch an electric model before 2030, it seems that these plans have finally been postponed. Frank Heyl, deputy director of design, has indicated that, when it reaches the market, the first electric Bugatti “will surprise people”, without giving more details about it.
What is certain is that the company will abandon its current strategy of having a range made up of a single model and derivatives: from now on, it will offer more types of cars in addition to hypercars. However, at the moment there are no plans to launch an SUV, as Bugatti wants to focus on “more exclusive” niches.
Anscheidt believes that such a move could devalue the image of the manufacturer, which currently enjoys an aura of exclusivity within the reach of few rivals. Firms such as Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Lotus already have SUVs on their offer, while others such as McLaren are considering their launch in the medium term.
