Bugatti postpones plans for an “affordable” sports car yet again

The $3,000,000+ Bugatti Chiron is one of the world’s most expensive production supercars. Despite selling better than the Veyron before it, the entire production run of 500 units has never sold out in the four years since announcement. This prompted Bugatti to consider launching an “affordable”, daily-driver model – but Covid-19 messed with these plans.

Introducing such a practical vehicle in its lineup, the French automaker would be able to maintain profits and avoid ruining the exclusivity of its more expensive models. However, the company is a part of Volkswagen Group, which was hit hard by the crisis and forced to cut corners everywhere. According to Bugatti CEO Stephan Winkelmann, business liquidity is the main priority of the German automotive conglomerate right now; spending money on conceptualizing and producing an expensive and low-volume car series is not.

Earlier on, it was assumed that the “affordable Bugatti” would hit the market in a four-seater luxury saloon body priced between €500,000 and €1,000,000. It would have full-fledged rear seats, higher road clearance than usual and an electric powertrain. Projected production quantity was 300 units per every major market.