Bugatti goes electric with the Tourbillon, successor to the Chiron

Bugatti has unveiled its replacement for the legendary Chiron, the Tourbillon. At a star-studded world premiere in Molsheim, France, the all-new hypercar marks a complete departure from the brand’s iconic W16 engine. This time it’s electrified, with the help of Mate Rimac, the unstoppable force behind the all-electric Nevera, the world’s fastest-accelerating hypercar. I attended the launch event and spoke with Rimac about his approach to designing the new multi-million dollar monster.

First off, while the Tourbillon is electrified, it’s not in the way that most anticipated (and some feared). From Rimac joined forces with Bugatti and Porsche almost three years ago, there was an expectation that the new Bugatti would take the Nevera’s powertrain or a heavily modified version of it and go fully electric. But that hasn’t happened. Instead, the Tourbillon follows the hybrid route charted by Ferrari with the SF90 Stradale and McLaren with the Artura – except with a unique Bugatti twist.

There’s also an all-new naturally aspirated 8.3-litre V16 engine, built in collaboration with legendary British racing engine manufacturer Cosworth, playing a central role. But this has been combined with a powerful electric drive system consisting of a front electronic axle with two electric motors and an additional rear motor. The combination produces 1,800 horsepower, surpassing the power of the Bugatti Veyron, despite the fact that the internal combustion engine is naturally aspirated. The electric motors offer instant torque and agility, while the 25 kWh battery allows for a usable range of over 37 miles.

I asked Mate Rimac about the engine choice when we met in Zagreb a week before the launch. “I am absolutely convinced that normal transport will become electric,” he says. “It makes more sense. But there will be very specific niches where combustion will persist for much longer than people think. It’s something people are emotional about.” This is something I rediscovered when I recently drove the Maserati MC20. “Also, some brands will struggle to differentiate themselves without having an internal combustion engine because that’s what they’ve built their heritage on. . So it will be difficult for them to go electric.”

“However, with electric you can do exciting things that you can’t do with combustion, which is what we achieved with the Nevera,” says Rimac. “Our customers have dozens of cars in their garages, so they don’t necessarily want just one type of vehicle. You have to offer them something special. Electric can be special. This is what we show with Nevera. It has almost 2,000 horsepower, 27 world records and does crazy things like drift mode. Our customers love the car. But for different markets and car classes, it will be a very easy transition or a very difficult transition to electric. We’ve positioned ourselves as the pioneers – the slightly crazy guys who do things that others don’t, and there’s a market for those cars. I also believe that the market for cars with internal combustion engines in this class will continue to live for quite some time.”

Continuing the great tradition of Bugatti

The Tourbillon comes from a long heritage of combustion greatness. It draws inspiration from Bugatti’s rich 115-year history, guided by founder Ettore Bugatti’s automotive pursuit. His mantras, “if they’re comparable, they’re not Bugatti anymore” and “nothing is too beautiful,” are embedded in the design and engineering of the Tourbillon, which spares no expense or shirks any mechanical challenge. The Tourbillon pays tribute to legendary Bugatti models such as the Type 57SC Atlantic, Type 35 and Type 41 Royale, which embody beauty, performance and unparalleled luxury.

However, unlike previous Bugattis, the Tourbillon abandons the tradition of naming base models after racing drivers. Instead, “Tourbillon,” a French word referring to a watchmaking invention (and already used for some actual Bugatti watches), is meant to reflect the car’s intricate mechanics and enduring elegance. The design prioritizes timeless appeal, using a fully analog instrument panel crafted by Swiss watchmakers Each component is meticulously selected to ensure the Tourbillon will remain a cherished heirloom for generations to come, just like a classic Swiss watch.

As with all modern Bugattis, the Tourbillon is also sculpted for excellent aerodynamics. Every surface, intake and ridge is meticulously refined to achieve not only aerodynamic performance but also optimum performance for the car’s V16 engine, electric motors and battery. The Tourbillon boasts many proprietary technologies developed over two decades of Bugatti experience with the Veyron and Chiron. But the most revolutionary feature is the powertrain.

“When I was thinking about what to do with the Bugatti brand, I thought about how Bugatti had many types of cars, not just supercars – racing cars, huge luxury cars and GTs,” says Rimac. “So you could go in many directions, but in every direction Bugatti is the pinnacle of the automotive industry. I realized that the brand was pushing boundaries and we had to continue that. Our shareholders were pushing hard for an electric car and that would be the easiest thing because we had the Nevera with 2,000 hp and 400+ km/h. On paper you could just retrofit it into a Bugatti. That’s what everyone expected, but I thought it was a mistake, because Bugatti is all about heritage sportsmanship. It is about 115 years of history. I felt that a Bugatti still needed an internal combustion engine, so four years ago I made a 3D printed concept car. It had a V16 engine and an electric motor in the back and two electric motors in the front, with the battery in the middle. I brought it to the management of the Volkswagen Group and said that this is what I want to do.”

The Tourbillon is also built on a completely new frame and body structure, to complement the unique engine configuration. The structure uses a next-generation T800 carbon composite material, incorporating weight-saving innovations such as a battery integrated into the monocoque and a revolutionary composite crash rear diffuser. The car also features an all-new multi-link suspension system, forged from aluminium, for excellent handling.

“I realized that the Volkswagen Group is not a company with one point of view, it is many people with many different points of view,” says Rimac. “So it was all very political, but we managed to get the deal done and I had a huge opportunity to take the brand into its next chapter. I wanted to create a hyper-emotional combustion engine powered by high-performance electric poetry. It’s all about the internal combustion engine, with the electric drive system behind it. It has an old school, somewhat weak engine that lacks the power, but you have the electric drivetrain for that and more. You get instant throttle response, torque vectoring and low-rev regenerative braking. All the disadvantages of the internal combustion engine disappear. But then you can have a really cool internal combustion engine.”

“The W16 in the Chiron is an amazing engine, but all you hear are the turbos,” adds Rimac. “It’s a unique sound, but it’s just a turbo, and when you step on the gas, nothing happens for a second if you’re not in the right rev range and boost. The Tourbillon doesn’t have that. It has an amazing atmospheric V16 engine sound and more torque than you could ever want from very low revs due to the electric motors. It brings together the advantages of both sides in a super high-tech electric drive system, which is basically Formula 1 technology.”

With a starting price of €3.8 million and limited to 250 units, the Bugatti Tourbillon is yet another exclusive vehicle for very special customers. It embodies Bugatti’s relentless pursuit of innovation and dedication to creating timeless masterpieces. The Tourbillon is meant to be more than just a car. intended to be a testament to Bugatti’s unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of automotive engineering and design.

But where does the Bugatti Tourbillon leave the Rimac brand?

“I feel like an artist with two canvases,” says Rimac. “There’s Bugatti, which is all about heritage, luxury and craftsmanship – quality leather, the proportional feel, more like a classic traditional watchmaker. Then there’s Rimac, which is about the extreme of high performance, pushing the limits, doing crazy things, maybe things that are a little too extreme for an old brand.”

“At 36 I have developed five cars completely from scratch,” concludes Rimac. “I learned so much along the way. I’m super self-critical and find 1,000 things in past projects that we could have done better. But with the Tourbillon, nothing was off the table. It’s truly amazing – the interior, the drivetrain and everything – and you can tell by the response from customers. Despite only offering 250 cars with a starting price of €3.8 million, it was almost sold out before it was even shown to the public. This reflects the appeal of the product. We still have a lot to offer with the Bugatti brand – and Rimac – so I feel great about the way business is going.”