Bugatti’s Electric Pivot Is on the Horizon
An enviable situation—enjoyed by many supercar companies—is the advance sale of the entire production run of a new model. Bugatti has that distinction with the new Centodieci, a tribute to the mid-engine EB110 that Bugatti produced under Romano Artioli between 1991 and 1995. Approximately 150 EB110s were built, but that’s practically mass production compared to the Centodieci, limited to an edition of 10. The price is €8 million (US$8.75 million).
On March 28, Bugatti said that the Centodieci was about to enter production, having finished endurance testing in southern Italy and covered more than 50,000 kilometers (31,000 miles) in deserts and freezing temperatures. It was tested at the top speed, an electronically limited 236 miles per hour. The 10 cars will be delivered to their global customers later this year.
In case you were wondering, “Centodieci” means 110 in Italian. The Centodieci echoes the EB110 in its slotted lower grille and basic shape, but it’s a more angular interpretation. The rear treatment includes a huge wing and eight separate tail light elements stretching across the back of the car.
Under the stylish skin it’s a Chiron, with a W16 engine (visible through a clear cover) producing 1,577 horsepower. That’s 97 horsepower more than the standard Chiron. Carbon fiber helped reduce weight. The Centodieci is capable of attaining 62 mph in 2.4 seconds, and 186 mph in 13.1.
Bugatti has produced a plethora of special-edition cars like the Centodieci, but the brand is in the midst of an historic pivot. The company is now known as Bugatti-Rimac, reflecting the 55% stake taken by Croatia-based Rimac Group—a pioneer in high-speed electric supercars and a supplier and consultant to other automakers. Porsche, which owns 24% of Rimac, has 45% of the joint venture.
Bugatti-Rimac was launched with 430 employees—300 in Croatia and 130 at the factory in Molsheim, France, where Bugattis will continue to be produced. It will inevitably become an EV brand, though maybe not as quickly as some might expect—given Rimac’s focus.Mate Rimac, CEO of the Rimac Group, said in an Automotive News Europe interview last February that Bugatti has been “very successful and profitable in the last few years” under then-CEO Stephan Winkelmann (who simultaneously ran Lamborghini).
Meanwhile, Rimac has been working on its electric Nevera supercar, which will be produced in an edition of 150, cost US$2.45 million, and hit the ground with 1,914 horsepower on tap. Zero to 60 mph will take 1.85 seconds and zero to 100 mph in 4.3. There is a 256-mph top speed, and by some measures it is the world’s fastest accelerating production car—with any drivetrain. It achieved a quarter-mile record of 8.582 seconds. Customer car production of the Nevera is underway. Mate Rimac was candid about what comes next.
“If you look at Bugatti, it’s all based on the W-16 engine, which is almost two decades old,” Rimac said. “It is an amazing powerplant that created the hypercar business. The easiest thing for us would be to take the Nevera and slam a Bugatti logo on it and call it a day. But I was against it.”
Rimac said, “I’m an electric car guy, but a Bugatti should still have a combustion engine for some time. But it will be developed in a way that is financially viable. He added that Bugatti production is sold out until 2025, and that “is an incredibly good position to be in.”
Rimac spokeswoman Nicole Daniell Auger said in an email, “It is still a bit too early to talk about the future plans but Mate Rimac has already stated that the future Bugatti will be a hybrid.”
That implies that the new Bugatti combustion engine will be fairly small, and used in conjunction with some electric range from a battery pack. That’s an interesting approach, because the current trend is to sunset fossil-fuel power plants as electrification takes over. The next generation of Bugatti and Rimac hypercars, hybrid and full EV, will be developed at company headquarters in Zagreb, Croatia, and at a new engineering and design center in Berlin.
Achim Anscheidt, design director at Bugatti-Rimac, said in a statement, “With new electrified technologies, our design focus will change by necessity, ushering in a proportion perfectly honed to both the excitement of the combustion engine and the instantaneous power of the electric drivetrain.”
Bugatti-Rimac will undoubtedly unveil an electric hypercar sometime soon, but it has actually introduced a battery vehicle already—a scooter. Working with a company called Bytech International it showed the “aerodynamic yet functional” 35-pound magnesium-alloy scooter early this year. It’s capable of slightly more than 18 mph, with a 700-watt motor. It’s unclear when it might be on the market.
Another key collaboration is a partnership with British luxury company Asprey, announced earlier this year, to “create highly exclusive objet d’art masterpieces of the future,” including unique sculptures that may be offered via NFT technology. Asprey dates to 1781, and has had both royal and head-of-state clients.