The Galibier concept unveiled in 2010 will become a road going reality in the forthcoming future. The car will come with two different engines, the first option being the W16 engine of the Veyron model while a hybrid version is set to become optional. The Galibier will have the same dual-clutch transmission as found on the Veyron, but its chassis and dimensions are still to be discussed upon.
The entire design should be presented in production form sometimes in autumn, as options include an aluminum spaceframe or a carbon monocoque bodywork.
Production numbers are settled for 3,000 units compared to 300 for the Veyron and the price tag is going to be around £1 million ($1.62 million or EUR1.14 million). The car might be build at the Mulsheim's factory if the facility manages to cope with the project’s characteristics and volume.
Wolfgang Durheimer explained that once the Veyron is out of production, there will be two spots left to be filled in Bugatti’s range. One of the two new models will definitely be a new high performance supercar such as the Veyron, while the second model will be a luxurious limousine. All forthcoming models will feature the mighty W16 engine found in the Veyron.
In an interview with Car Magazine, Durheimer said “We can have one car biased more towards racing, and one for the road.”. “We are looking not to the floor but to the ceiling... We want to see how far we can push this brand. The Galibier will fulfil all the demands of Ettore Bugatti: the best car in the world, very luxurious, the best materials, the best surfaces,” Durheimer reports.
“My next meeting with [VW Group chairman Martin] Winterkorn will be to set the dimensions of this car,” he told the magazine. “Only then can we finalise the design, but we will have that in the third quarter of 2011. And we still must decide if it is a carbon monocoque like the Veyron, or an aluminium spaceframe,” Durheimer concluded.
While referring to reasons for a hybrid powered Bugatti, Durheimer said: “When the mayors of cities know we can make cars that run silently, I don't expect they will allow cars that pollute into city centres.”
“But I can't imagine a Galibier owner leaving their car at the park-and-ride and catching a bus. That's why we need to offer a hybrid with this car, so owners drive up to the hotel silently in EV mode. But not every Galibier needs to be a hybrid - in places like Dubai it is not what the market wants,“ he explains.
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