Since it was taken over by Volkswagen in 1998, Bugatti has only released two models, the Veyron and Chiron, both mid-engine supercars. Its next car could be quite different, though. Automobile reports that Bugatti is working on a new hybrid 2+2 that’ll be more affordable than the Chiron. It’s part of a larger push within the VW Group to produce more luxury hybrids and EVs.
The report comes from Georg Kacher, who’s well connected in the German automotive world. He says that the Bugatti could be called the Atlantic—a reference to the company’s legendary Type 57SC—and that it’ll be based on a shortened version of the platform that underpins the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid.
Interestingly, Kacher reports that this platform will underpin a new Lamborghini model too. It’s apparently called the Nuova E-spada, in reference to the Espada, a luxurious four-seat grand tourer built by Lamborghini from 1968 to 1978. Both will apparently offer “awesome mid-range torque, effortless waftability, and style,” per Automobile.
Even though both Bugatti and Lamborghini’s 2+2 coupes would ride on a Porsche platform, the German company has no plans to revive its own 2+2 grand tourer, the 928.
Audi and Bentley have two new all-electric cars in the pipeline too. Both are based off Porsche’s upcoming EV platform, which underpins the upcoming Mission E, and both will be four-seaters. The Bentley is said to be called the Barnato—after Woolf Barnato, one of the original “Bentley Boys” who won Le Mans with the brand three times—and the Audi is currently named the e-tron GT.
As a result of the astronomical costs of VW’s diesel emissions-cheating scandal, brands within its portfolio are sharing platforms and tech more than ever. The VW Group’s MLBevo platform underpins the Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne, and Bentley Bentayga, as well as the upcoming Lamborghini Urus and next-gen VW Touraeg. And additionally, the new Porsche Panamera and Bentley Continental GT share a platform.
Per Kacher’s reporting, it seems like the VW Group is trying to get the most out of its hybrid and EV platforms too.