In photos: Bugatti unveils 1,500-horsepower Chiron, the word's fastest car

geneva motor show

Staff

Published February 29, 2016

Bugatti showed off its new 1,500-horsepower, $3.5 million Chiron to a small group Monday, just days before the Geneva Motor Show begins. The supercar comes with a 16-cylinder engine and a speedometer that goes to 500 km/h, although a limiter will keep a driver from exceeding 420 km/h. However, Bugatti says the Chiron, which can go from 0-100 km/h in 2.5 seconds and 0-300 km/h in 13.6 seconds, will “significantly exceed” the speed record for a car made for the non-racing public. The record was set by its current Veyron at 431 km/h. This means the Chiron may soon be the world's fastest street-legal car. The rocket ship is named after Louis Chiron, a Bugatti race driver in the 1920s and 1930s. Volkswagen acquired the brand in 1998 and, seven years later, brought it back to life with the Veyron. Over the past 11 years, Bugatti has made 450 examples of the Veyron. There were rumours of a hybrid powertrain with Volkswagen’s current diesel scandal, but nothing of the sort was mentioned Monday. The Chiron comes with a carbon fibre monoque and an active areo front and rear similar to the Veyron. Bugatti doesn’t publish financial results, but according to Automotive News, Berstein analysts estimate the company lost €5 million on every Veyron it sold. Bugatti plans to build 500 Chirons. A third of that number have already been sold.

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