The world premiere of the Bugatti Chiron - the ultimate super sports car

Bugatti has unveiled the new Chiron in Geneva, the most powerful, fastest, most luxurious and most exclusive production super sports car in the world.

The successor to the record-setting Bugatti Veyron, the Chiron is the latest generation of the ultimate super sports car and is a completely new development. The French luxury brand has improved every aspect of the high-performance machine to create the ultimate super sports car. 

The Bugatti Chiron sports some eye-watering performance figures: 1,500bhp and 1,600Nm of torque developed by its 8.0-litre W16 engine with four new, larger turbochargers controlled by the Bugatti two-stage turbocharging, fed to all four wheels with permanent all-wheel drive. 0-100km/h takes less than 2.5 seconds, 0-200km/h in under 6.5 seconds, and 0-300km/h in under 13.6 seconds. Top speed is limited to 420km/h for road use, but Bugatti will be used to set the next world speed record, reaching a maximum speed significantly higher than the one already held by the Veryon. To put that into context, at its limited top speed, the Chiron will cover 117 metres each second. 

The newly developed W12 engine works with the four larger, higher-performance turbocharger and a new titanium exhuast system to boost the car's power output, 25 percent more than its predecessor. The new titanium exhaust system with reduced exhaust gas back pressure has two main catalytic converters that are about six times as large as the unit fitted to a medium-sized car. The exhaust system is rounded off by six tailpipes, with four routed to the rear and two pointing downwards to create a blown diffuser - a downforce-enhancing technology proven, and then subsequently banned, in Formula One. 

To deal with all the additional power, the Chiron is equipped with the highest-performance, most intelligent cooling system in the sports car sector. A total of 10 radiators form two cooling water loops, one for the engine and one for charge air cooling. The aerodynamic design of the car is also optimised for enhancing vehicle cooling, with a sophisticated air intake management system to feed as much air through the air intakes as possible.

The Chiron features a high sophisticated full-carbon fibre monocoque that offers extremely high rigidity, comparable to those of LMP1 racing cars. For the first time, the company has also developed an adaptive chassis. This provides an extremely dynamic driving experience, direct response, considerably more agility, precise steering response, fast cornering and outstanding roadholding even at high cornering speeds. 

The adaptive chassis has five driving modes: Lift, Auto, Autobahn, Handling and Top Speed. Auto is the default mode, for comfortable and agile driving. Lift can be activated under 50km/h, to go over speed bumps and such. When driver faster than 180km/h, Autobahn mode is automatically activated, with the shock absorber settings automatically adjusted for comfortable, stable handling at higher highway speeds. Handling mode, recommended for track use, set all systems for maximum agility and performance. And finally, Top Speed mode, activated by a second, seperate ignition key, allows the driver to hit the 420km/h top speed limiter. 

The Chiron also embodies Bugatti's new design language, 'Form follows Performance'. As such, the styling accentuates the performance aspects fo the super sports car. The design features are all grounded in technical functionality. For example, the line running across the side of the vehicle, the 'Bugatti line', is not just a beautiful styling line, but also positioned to improve engine ventilation.

Thanks to the unprecedented combination of ultimate performance with exclusive design and comfort, the Chiron is set to hold a unique market position. With a basic price of €2.4 million (S$3.66 million), advance orders have been received for one third of the total production run, with only 500 cars to be made. The first vehicle is due to be delivered to a customer this autumn.