Photo: Bugatti
When it was first introduced back in 2005, the Bugatti Veyron was a remarkable vehicle in more ways than one. Sure, it was the fastest, most expensive production car of its time, but it also had one less flattering trait that left the world in disbelief: in spite of its $1.1 million price tag, the car was actually losing money for Bugatti.
Each Veyron sold meant a hole in Bugatti's budget the size of anything between four to six million dollars, but that didn't stop the company owned by Volkswagen from continuing dishing special edition after special edition throughout the model's eleven-year lifespan. After all, a loss of a few million is nothing compared to the colossal awareness that this car brought to the company. It was a show of force, and nobody rose up to the challenge.
With the Chiron, though, things are going to change. First of all, the new Bugatti hypercar costs $2.4 million, which is significantly more than the first model. But that still isn't enough to explain how they managed to stop the financial hemorrhage. Think of a young family: when the first child is born, they have to buy a stroller, clothes, a changing table, a diaper bag and all sorts of other things. When the second one comes along, it will inherit a lot from his older sibling.
It's the same with the new Bugatti. The Veyron had to do it all from scratch, it was a pioneering vehicle, while the Chiron has all the expertise gained from its predecessor available at no cost. In fact, even though the Chiron will be making money for Bugatti, they should actually be taking the hole made by the Veyron into consideration. Only when that is accounted for too will Bugatti be able to truly say that its new car is profitable.
But Wolfgang Durheimer, the Bugatti President, is happy with the way things are. Speaking to The Verge in Geneva, he confirmed that "this car over its lifetime, with 500 cars and a base price of € 2.4 million, is adding into the bottom line result of Bugatti and we are making money with this project."
The people at Bugatti are already thinking about Chiron's successor. With a planned lifespan of eight years, the clock is already ticking for the people who seem determined to come up with the best vehicle time and time again.
With the Chiron, though, things are going to change. First of all, the new Bugatti hypercar costs $2.4 million, which is significantly more than the first model. But that still isn't enough to explain how they managed to stop the financial hemorrhage. Think of a young family: when the first child is born, they have to buy a stroller, clothes, a changing table, a diaper bag and all sorts of other things. When the second one comes along, it will inherit a lot from his older sibling.
It's the same with the new Bugatti. The Veyron had to do it all from scratch, it was a pioneering vehicle, while the Chiron has all the expertise gained from its predecessor available at no cost. In fact, even though the Chiron will be making money for Bugatti, they should actually be taking the hole made by the Veyron into consideration. Only when that is accounted for too will Bugatti be able to truly say that its new car is profitable.
But Wolfgang Durheimer, the Bugatti President, is happy with the way things are. Speaking to The Verge in Geneva, he confirmed that "this car over its lifetime, with 500 cars and a base price of € 2.4 million, is adding into the bottom line result of Bugatti and we are making money with this project."
The people at Bugatti are already thinking about Chiron's successor. With a planned lifespan of eight years, the clock is already ticking for the people who seem determined to come up with the best vehicle time and time again.
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