Bugatti Halts Development Of Second Model

Rumors for a more affordable and practical Bugatti have been floating around the web for years. At some point several months ago, it seemed that the French manufacturer is finally evaluating different ideas about the vehicle and is about to make a final decision soon. Unfortunately, the sky’s cloudy for Bugatti’s second model, again.

According to a new report from Bloomberg, the automaker will delay its plans for a new model until at least Volkswagen Group’s annual investment review scheduled for next month. The decision has an obvious connection with the coronavirus crisis which affected the automotive industry.

“We had talks about a second-model lineup,” Bugatti chief Stephan Winkelmann commented in a recent Bloomberg TV interview. “This was now blocked due to the coronavirus crisis; we’re not talking about what’s coming next.”

We first heard about a potential delay in Bugatti’s plans in July this year when it was reported that VAG has decided to put a priority on liquidity to face the challenging times after the coronavirus pandemic. Whether this new information means the project is canceled altogether or just delayed, it’s too early to say.

Given the above, it comes as a surprise that Bugatti is about to register its “best year ever,” according to Winkelmann who didn’t provide more details about the company’s sales results for 2020. What’s even more important, the Molsheim-based supercar manufacturer is looking into next year with a “peace of mind” thanks to a good number of preorders - roughly, between 70 percent and 80 percent of planned production output for 2021 have already been sold.