With the Veyron’s production run officially over, French automaker Bugatti is now turning its attention to its next creation. Bugatti first showed its Veyron-replacing 16C Galibier at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, with the super sedan nearing the final stages of development.
Bugatti has so far only publicly updated the Galibier’s exterior color – with the four-door arriving in black at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show – but a few more changes are said to be in store for the production model, which could arrive as early as 2012.
Given the importance of the Chinese market, the production version of the Galibier is tipped to feature a more spacious backseat. Most luxury buyers in China are chauffeur-driven, so the Galibier concept’s cramped rear-seat had to go.
The Galibier concept featured a de-tuned version of the Veyron’s 16-cylinder engine – producing a measly 800 horsepower – but that apparently wasn’t becoming of a Bugatti flagship model.
“The Galibier didn’t have four-digit power,” Bugatti head Wolfgang Dürheimer told AutoExpress. “It has to be above 1,000bhp. We shouldn’t limit ourselves.”
Bugatti is planning a Galibier production run of 1,500 units – five-times that of the Veyron – with each example expected to carry a price tag of at least $1.4 million.
References
1.’Bugatti Galibier…’ view
