Bugatti's new car is a US$4 million, 1,800 horsepower hybrid
Bugatti unveils an all-new plug-in hybrid car, the Bugatti Tourbillon. (Courtesy Bugatti Rimac via CNN Newsource)
Share
Bugatti has unveiled its new model, the Bugatti Tourbillon, a massively powerful hybrid with an equally impressive price tag. The car will replace the US$3.3 million, 1,500 horsepower Bugatti Chiron.
You might have expected Bugatti’s new model to be all-electric. Not only is the industry headed in that direction, but in 2021 Bugatti was spun off from Volkswagen Group and merged with Rimac, the Croatian company that makes the all-electric Rimac Nevera supercar.
But Mate Rimac, the chief executive of the new company, now called Bugatti Rimac, said he never had any intention of making an all-electric Bugatti. As gasoline-powered cars gradually fade from the world’s roads, Bugatti Rimac’s engineers and designers wanted to create something that retained the spirit of mechanically powered Bugatti cars, just better: An insanely powerful plug-in hybrid.
Like the Bugatti Chiron and Veyron models before it, the new Bugatti Tourbillon will have a huge, 16-cylinder gas engine. The engine, which was designed in cooperation with the British race car engineering firm Cosworth, will be assisted by three powerful electric motors. One motor in the back of the car and two more in the front will be capable of producing at least 800 horsepower on their own. In total, the Bugatti Tourbillon will be able to put out at least 1,800 horsepower, according to Bugatti Rimac.
The electric motors will help make up for the new gas engine’s lack of turbochargers. The Chiron’s gas engine had four turbochargers that pushed air into the engine to help it produce more power. Mate Rimac said they wanted this new engine to be “naturally aspirated,” meaning there would be no turbochargers.
“We wanted to make the most exciting, most emotional combustion engine possible,” Rimac said, “and that is high revving, naturally aspirated.”
The car’s interior is, likewise, an homage to old-fashioned machinery. The Tourbillon is named after a set of gears that helps maintain accuracy in a mechanical watch. The Bugatti’s instrument display is modeled on mechanical watch dials.
“One of the first things we did when the new company was formed, I took the whole team to Switzerland and we visited a few watchmakers,” Rimac told CNN.
The central speedometer display even has two needles like the hands of a clock. The long hand shows the car’s speed while the short hand registers the revolutions per minute of the high-revving 16-cylinder engine.
With a fully charged battery, the car will be able to travel about 37 miles on purely electric power before the gas engine needs to turn on, but the driver will have the option to run the gas engine continuously, if they wish.
Unlike past Bugattis, though, the Tourbillon does have a reasonably large display screen with Apple CarPlay available. The screen will only come out and become visible when the driver requests it, though. In general, Bugatti designers have avoided putting screens in the cars in the belief that computer displays look outmoded quickly.
“We think, really, how will this product look in 50 years, 100 years,” said Rimac. “And it’s clear that, if you have a screen, it won’t look that great.”
The cars will still be assembled one at a time at Bugatti’s small factory in Molsheim, France. A total of only 250 Tourbillons will be built, Mate Rimac said, at a starting price of roughly US$4 million each.
U.S. President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump are set to go head-to-head tonight in the first of two planned presidential debates. Here's how to watch the CNN Presidential Debate, Power Play's pre- and post-debate specials, and follow along in our real-time CTVNews.ca live expert analysis and commentary by debate and body-language experts.
A potential strike by WestJet airplane mechanics would upend travel plans for 250,000 customers over the Canada Day long weekend, the airline says — and cost it millions of dollars.
Canada has welcomed more than 3.9 million new citizens since 2005, with nearly one third coming from India, the Philippines or China, according to a CTVNews.ca analysis.
Fans of Marilyn Monroe have won a battle to preserve her mark on Los Angeles and are a step closer to seeing a towering statue of the silver screen icon remain in Palm Springs.
A New Hampshire man charged with threatening the lives of presidential candidates last year has been found dead while a jury was deciding his verdict, according to court filings Thursday.
So-called godfather of AI Geoffrey Hinton says he's 'pleased' governments are starting to take artificial intelligence, and the possible regulations of it, seriously.
A judge dismissed all sexual misconduct charges against a Newfoundland lawyer Thursday, saying repeated inconsistencies and falsehoods in the complainant's accounts eroded her credibility and left him unable to believe her allegations.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek issued a stern warning to residents on Thursday morning about curbing their water use, saying consumption levels have continued to creep up over the past several days.
A B.C. condo owner who was fined tens of thousands of dollars over hundreds of noise complaints made by his downstairs neighbour was partially successful in having the penalties overturned.
Nova Scotia Justice Minister Barbara Adams says the province's police watchdog is in talks with a civilian agency that may be willing to investigate the role of police in the wrongful murder conviction of Glen Assoun.
The former Uvalde schools police chief was indicted over his role in the slow police response to the 2022 massacre at a Texas elementary school that left 19 children and two teachers dead, the local sheriff said Thursday.
The murder trial of Bryan Kohberger, the criminology grad student accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students in 2022, is set to begin June 2, 2025, according to a scheduling order filed in court.
Bolivian President Luis Arce on Thursday angrily called accusations that he was behind an attempted coup against his government 'lies,' saying the general who apparently led it acted on his own and vowing that he would face justice.
A raspy, sometimes halting U.S. President Joe Biden repeatedly sought to confront Donald Trump in their first debate ahead of the November election, as his Republican rival countered Biden’s criticism by leaning into falsehoods about the economy, illegal immigration and his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.
Did Karen Read kill her police officer boyfriend by slamming into him with her Lexus and then leaving him to die in a brewing snowstorm after a night out drinking?
So-called godfather of AI Geoffrey Hinton says he's 'pleased' governments are starting to take artificial intelligence, and the possible regulations of it, seriously.
Ottawa plans to expand eligibility for the federal dental program today to include children under the age of 18 and people who receive a disability tax credit.
A new report from the federal agency shows that between 2016 and 2020, 23 per cent of foreign workers had become permanent residents two years after obtaining their first work permits.
CHEO has announced that Alex Munter is stepping down as the president and CEO of eastern Ontario's children's hospital to take on a new role as the CEO of the Canadian Medical Association.
Chicago native Jeffrey Odwazny says he has been addicted to ultraprocessed food since he was a child. 'I was driven to eat and eat and eat, and while I would overeat healthy food, what really got me were the candies, the cakes, the pies, the ice cream,' said the 54-year-old former warehouse supervisor.
Alzheimer’s disease may be inherited more often than previously known, according to a new study that paints a clearer picture of a gene long known to be linked to the common form of dementia.
Has your iPhone screen cracked, or does your MacBook battery not charge like it used to? Instead of sending it in to an Apple repair centre or scheduling an appointment with a Genius Bar, Canadians will soon be able to fix their own devices at home.
The Center for Investigative Reporting said Thursday it has sued ChatGPT maker OpenAI and its closest business partner, Microsoft, marking a new front in the legal battle between news publications fighting against unauthorized use of their content on artificial intelligence platforms.
Competitive eater Joey 'Jaws' Chestnut will take his hot dog-downing talents to an army base in Texas for America's Independence Day this year after a falling out with organizers of the event that made him famous, the annual 4th of July eating contest in Brooklyn's Coney Island.
Singer, songwriter, satirist and novelist Kinky Friedman, who led the alt-country band Texas Jewboys, toured with Bob Dylan, sang with Willie Nelson, and dabbled in politics with campaigns for Texas governor and other statewide offices, has died.
Killer Mike is expected to avoid charges over a physical altercation that led to his arrest at the Grammys earlier this year after the rapper recently completed community service.
The federal government ordered binding arbitration in the labour dispute between WestJet and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) on Thursday.
The world's largest hockey stick could soon become the world's most in-pieces hockey stick as a Vancouver Island community prepares to tear down and carve up the Canadian landmark.
Six-year-old Bruce Arthur Chang is the new grand champion of Canada in the UCMAS math competition, and says he is hoping to make a mark on the international stage.
Estelle Savoie and Linda Philipert have been best friends for 43 years and decided to commemorate their friendship by recreating a photo shoot they did in 1984.
Bronny James — the oldest son of the NBA's all-time scoring leader and four-time champion — was drafted Thursday by the Los Angeles Lakers, the team that his father has played for since 2018. Bronny James was taken with the No. 55 overall pick, deep in the second round and with only three picks remaining in this year's draft.
A jury in U.S. District Court ordered the NFL to pay nearly US$4.8 billion in damages Thursday after ruling that the league violated antitrust laws in distributing out-of-market Sunday afternoon games on a premium subscription service.
Ken Holland is out as Edmonton Oilers president of hockey operations and general manager. He joined the Oilers in May 2019 and his contract ends this Sunday.
Several stolen vehicles believed to have been used in organized and serious crime, including one homicide, have been found in Alberta during an investigation into an auto theft ring.
Data from Statistics Canada suggests that a vehicle is stolen every five minutes in the country. Now, police are investigating whether there's a connection between when and where a vehicle was last serviced, and the date it was stolen, they revealed to CTV National News.
The Winnipeg Art Gallery- Qaumajuq recently discovered that one piece in its collection is a fake and part of a massive art forgery ring that included more than 1,500 pieces.
Six-year-old Bruce Arthur Chang is the new grand champion of Canada in the UCMAS math competition, and says he is hoping to make a mark on the international stage.
A Bracebridge man who died trying to save a distressed swimmer nearly four years ago is being recognized among 18 others for their extraordinary acts of heroism.
A decision to quietly remove a decades-old Heritage Minute on Louis Riel has left some in the Métis community scratching their heads, as questions are raised about how Canada's history is portrayed.
In 2026, the eyes of the world will be on BC Place as it hosts seven matches in the FIFA World Cup, but until recently, nobody has been able to lay eyes on the stadium agreement for those games.
West Vancouver police aren't revealing many details about a two-vehicle crash on Highway 1 just before midnight Wednesday night that left two people dead and sent three others to hospital.
With a week left until thousands of LCBO workers could walk off the job, the Crown corporation has announced that it will close all its retail stores for 14 days if no deal is reached by July 5.
Ontarians heading outdoors this summer are likely well-versed on the potential risk of Lyme disease that comes with a tick bite. But there are three other pathogens that can be transmitted by blacklegged ticks that public health officials want you to know about – and confirmed cases have already been reported in Ontario.
The federal government ordered binding arbitration in the labour dispute between WestJet and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) on Thursday.
Ottawa police are going as far as to tell people to stay away from Facebook Marketplace altogether when looking for a place to rent because of the prevalence of scams.
CHEO has announced that Alex Munter is stepping down as the president and CEO of eastern Ontario's children's hospital to take on a new role as the CEO of the Canadian Medical Association.
The provincial government has announced it will be spending close to $1 billion to refurbish eight hydroelectric generating stations in eastern Ontario.
The stage is set for the 44th edition of the Montreal International Jazz Festival. Over the next 10 days there will be 350 concerts taking place in the heart of downtown, the majority of them free.
Ken Holland is out as Edmonton Oilers president of hockey operations and general manager. He joined the Oilers in May 2019 and his contract ends this Sunday.
Parents who ran into technical problems with Waterloo Region’s registration system for before and after school programs have a new date to circle on their calendars.
Drivers in Saskatoon’s north industrial area were treated to a grisly sight on their commute home on Thursday — a truck apparently spilled a load of pig parts onto Millar Avenue.
One person has been charged after a suspect stole a vehicle in Sables-Spanish Rivers Township, then drove it to Ontario Provincial Police to discuss another matter.
For nearly 50 years, Clinton's kids have enjoyed an outdoor pool. However, following a three-year long closure due to expensive required repairs, Clinton's pool will now never be swam in again.
VIA Rail unveiled the first cars in its new fleet of state of the art passenger trains Thursday, with leaders taking part in the inaugural ride between London and Windsor.
Michael Lahay pleaded guilty to manslaughter for stabbing his mother, Wendy, 30 times inside their Ramara home in 2021 while experiencing "substance-induced psychosis" after he ate a dozen homemade cannabis brownies.
Swimming lessons have not been offered at the Lanspeary Park pool since 2015 but they are returning now. So is the pool which closed down in 2022 after city council approved a $3 million dollar replacement.
U.S. President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump are set to go head-to-head tonight in the first of two planned presidential debates. Here's how to watch the CNN Presidential Debate, Power Play's pre- and post-debate specials, and follow along in our real-time CTVNews.ca live expert analysis and commentary by debate and body-language experts.
The world's largest hockey stick could soon become the world's most in-pieces hockey stick as a Vancouver Island community prepares to tear down and carve up the Canadian landmark.
A picture of rage and determination among COVID-19 protesters at the border blockade at Coutts, Alta., was spelled out in text messages shown Thursday at a murder-conspiracy trial.
One person has been charged after a suspect stole a vehicle in Sables-Spanish Rivers Township, then drove it to Ontario Provincial Police to discuss another matter.
A judge dismissed all sexual misconduct charges against a Newfoundland lawyer Thursday, saying repeated inconsistencies and falsehoods in the complainant's accounts eroded her credibility and left him unable to believe her allegations.
With rain coming down in central Labrador and temperatures dropping, the wildfire near Churchill Falls has been downgraded, although fire officials say there's still work to be done to keep the flames at bay.
The wildfire that forced the evacuation of Churchill Falls remains three kilometres from the community as the premier of Newfoundland and Labrador signalled cautious optimism.