Bugatti's $1.4 Million, 800-hp Sedan A Hybrid?!

Given the superlative nature and awesome speed of Bugatti’s already legendary, 250-plus mph Veyron supercar, interest in the manufacturer’s follow-up is intense. The company had previously gone on record as saying that its next model wouldn’t be a supercar, but details were scant — until now. In a recent article from the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, Bugatti CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer confirms that the new car will be in the vein of the controversial 16 C Galibier concept, which debuted in 2009. It will seat four and have a generous trunk, Dürheimer says; you can bet that a set of fitted luggage will be one of the pricey options.

More important is what’s fitted up front, of course, which the article claims will be a 16-cylinder engine, although power output wasn’t mentioned. (The W-16 under the Bugatti’s butterfly bonnet delivers a mere 800 hp, somewhat less than the 1,001 churned up by the 8-liter W-16 in the mid-engine Veyron.) The Galibier concept is big, though, so don’t expect Veyron-esque, sub-three-second zero-to-60-mph sprints no matter how much carbon fiber and aluminum the new car contains. Interestingly, a hybrid model (presumably a plug-in hybrid) is on the docket as well, with an electric-only driving range of about 25 miles, according to Dürheimer.

Bugatti hopes to sell between 1,000 and 1,500 units of the super-luxe sedan over the course of its lifetime, roughly triple the number of Veyron coupes and Grand Sport convertibles Bugatti built since 2004. The story also says that the Galibier will go on sale in the fall of 2012, about a year earlier than most earlier projections. How much will it cost? Dürheimer says it will command at least €1M, which amounts to about $1.42 million at today’s exchange rates. (S)