Eight years ago today, Bugatti revealed the Chiron. That hypercar went on to sell out of its original production run and reach 300 mph, carrying on the legacy of the Veyron before it as the ultimate grand tourer. The Chiron's run is now complete, so you may have expected Bugatti to get with the times and replace their signature hypercar with something with fewer combustion chambers. Instead, the brand is doubling down on 16 cylinders.
Bugatti has confirmed that its next engine is a V-16. Yes, as in two eight-cylinder banks. The brand is not sharing any details on the engine itself but photos of headers marked with a firing order and a quick audio clip, but it will be part of a hybrid powertrain when it debuts in a still-unnamed new car in June.
A clip shared on social media includes a brief snippet of sound from a running V-16 engine. The new motor sounds like it might rev higher than the outgoing V-16, which has a unique low rumble even in its most aggressive applications. That provides the only meaningful hint at the direction the new Bugatti will take.
The car Bugatti built around the new V-16 hybrid will debut in June. We know that it will be the last built by current design team director Achim Anscheidt, and we know that it will not reach production until Bugatti finishes building outstanding orders of the Bolide and Mistral in 2026. Given the transparent length of a powertrain that integrates a V-16, expect the engine bay to be long.
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