“Still too early to say” if Bugatti will go electric

Bugatti last week finalised plans to merge with little-known Croatian electric vehicle specialist Rimac, signalling the beginning of a new era for one of the world’s most famous hypercar makers.

However, it’s still unclear if the legendary French marque – which has fitted a quad-turbocharged 8.0-litre W16 petrol engine in every car that has left its factory during the 21st century – will immediately shift to zero-emission powertrains.

When asked by Drive about the brand’s future plans, a spokesperson for Bugatti said: “It is still too early to say [if we will get rid of petrol power entirely] … we are working on many different scenarios and will announce our plans in good time.”

Production of the existing 1100kW/1600Nm Bugatti Chiron two-seater is due to wrap up in the coming months, and a replacement is yet to be revealed.

The car maker has previously suggested petrol power – almost certainly with hybrid assistance – could potentially be retained for some future models, however the Rimac Nevera platform (shown above, and known as the ‘C_Two’ during development) will likely underpin at least one future Bugatti.

In production guise, the Rimac uses four electric motors to send 1427kW/2360Nm – or almost 40 per cent more power than the most potent Bugatti ever built – to all four wheels, allowing the 0-100km/h sprint to be completed in a claimed 1.97 seconds on the way to a top speed of 412km/h.