Bugatti Veyron successor to be named Chiron

We had run a story that the with only a few units of the Bugatti Veyron left, its replacement will be powered by the standard 8.0-litre, quad-turbo, 1200bhp W16 from the SuperSport, though enhanced by about 300bhp thanks to a hybrid powertrain. With an expected combined output of over 1500bhp, parent company Volkswagen is planning to endow the new Veyron with enough power to take back the fastest production car crown. The current title holder is Hennessey’s Venom GT with 432.78kmph on the clock.

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One of the last special editions of the Bugatti Veyron[/caption]

Recently, Car and Driver reported that the next generation Veyron will be called the Chiron, after the 1999 Bugatti 18/3 Chiron concept. Designed by Italdesign Giugiaro, the concept was the original inspiration for the now famous Veyron. The 18/3 Chiron concept was named for Bugatti race driver Louis Chiron, with the “18/3” pointing to the engine’s 18 cylinders distributed into three banks of six cylinders each. The VW-sourced 6.3-litre W18 naturally aspirated engine powered all four wheels and delivered 555bhp and 650Nm of torque. Seems minuscule even compared to the current Veyron SuperSport, let alone the 1500bhp hybrid-engine Chiron.

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While the 1999 concept was powered by a 6.3-litre W18 engine producing 555bhp and 650Nm, the new Chiron will get a 1500bhp hybrid powertrain[/caption]

The largest challenge in actually bringing the Chiron to production will be integrating the hybrid powertrain into the chassis without gaining too much weight. The Veyron is so powerful that we often forget it weighs almost 1.9 tons. More details should trickle out soon.