Bugatti Automobiles SAS

Infobox Company
name = Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.

type = limited, Subsidiary of Volkswagen Group
foundation = 1998
founder =
location_city = Molsheim
location_country = Alsace, France
locations =
area_served = Worldwide
key_people =
industry = Automotive
products = Automobiles
services =
market c

revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
assets =
equity =
owner = Volkswagen France [http://www.bugatti.com/en/tradition/history/bugatti-today.html Bugatti - A Legendary Brand Is Reborn] ]
num_employees =
parent = Volkswagen Group
divisions =
subsid =
homepage = [http://www.bugatti.com Bugatti.com]
footnotes =
intl = yes

Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. is a French automobile manufacturer located in the French town of Molsheim, Alsace, France. It is a subsidiary of the German automotive industry conglomerate and holding company - Volkswagen Group, but is officially owned by Volkswagen France. It was founded in 1998 as a successor to the legendary Bugatti company.

At the urging of then-chairman Ferdinand Piëch, Volkswagen purchased the rights to produce cars under the Bugatti marque in 1998. This followed the purchase of Lamborghini (for VW's Audi division), the Rolls-Royce factory in Crewe, England, and the Bentley marque.

Giugiaro concept cars

Volkswagen commissioned ItalDesign's Giorgetto Giugiaro to design a series of concept cars to return the marque to prominence. The first example, the EB 118, was a two-door coupé and was introduced at the Paris Motor Show in 1998. It was followed by the four-door EB 218 touring sedan, introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1999. Later that year, the 18/3 Chiron was shown at the IAA in Frankfurt. The final Bugatti concept was not designed by ItalDesign: the VW-designed EB 18/4 GT was introduced at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show.

All of these early concepts featured a 555 hp DIN (408 kW) 18-cylinder engine. This was the first-ever W-configuration engine on a passenger vehicle, with three banks of six cylinders. It shared many components with Volkswagen's modular engine family.

Official incorporation

On December 15, 2000, Volkswagen officially incorporated Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S., with former VW drivetrain chief Karl-Heinz Neumann as president. The company purchased the 1856 Château Saint Jean, formerly Ettore Bugatti's guest house in Dorlisheim, near Molsheim, and began refurbishing it to serve as the company's headquarters. The original factory was still in the hands of Snecma, who were unwilling to part with it. At the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in August 2000, VW announced that they would instead build a new modern "atelier" (factory) next to and south of the Château. The "atelier" was officially inaugurated on September 3, 2005.

EB 16.4 Veyron

Piëch announced the production Bugatti model at the 2001 Geneva Motor Show. To be called the EB 16/4 Veyron, it was intended to be the fastest, most-powerful, and most-expensive car in history. Instead of the large and complex W18 engine of the concept cars, the Veyron would use a VR6-style W16 engine. First seen in the 1999 Bentley Hunaudières concept car, the W16 would get four turbochargers, producing an expected 1001 metric hp (736 kW). Top speed was promised at 407 km/h (253 mph), and pricing was announced at €1 million (US$1.3 million at the time).

Development continued throughout 2001, and the EB 16/4 Veyron was promoted to "advanced concept" status. In late 2001, Bugatti announced that the car, officially called the Bugatti EB Veyron 16.4, would go into production in 2003. The car experienced significant problems, however. High-speed stability was difficult, with one prototype destroyed in a crash and another spun out during a press demonstration at the Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca. Production of the Veyron was delayed indefinitely.

Piëch retired that year as chairman of Volkswagen, and was replaced by Bernd Pischetsrieder. The new chairman promptly sent the Veyron back to the drawing board for major revisions. Neumann was replaced as Bugatti president by Thomas Bscher in December 2003, and substantial modifications were made to the Veyron under the guidance of former VW engineer, Bugatti Engineering head Wolfgang Schreiber.

The final version of the Veyron was presented at Château Saint Jean on 3 September 2005.

Volkswagen AG designed and built a brand new production facility in the French town of Molsheim (coord|48|31|43.25|N|07|29|53.16|E), the marques' original hometown.

econd model

The December 2007 issue of Australia's Motor Magazine has stated that this second Bugatti model will, in fact, share its platform with the next generation Bentley Arnage, with the Bugatti powered by a detuned version of the Veyron's W16 engine, while Bentley version powered mainly by the venerable 6.75 V8 Twin Turbo from the current Arnage (albeit with the Bugatti motor being on offer for a limited run or ultra exclusive Bentleys).

References

External links

* [http://www.bugatti-cars.de Bugatti official site]
* [http://www.bugatti.com Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.]

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