Are things going to far in the c**k fight to claim the fastest car prize. ? Is anybody ever going to do anywhere near the new acclaimed top speed of 286mph. ? Reaction speed over distance must be ridiculous. I suppose time will tell, but mentioned in other threads with p1 and laF top speed has become immaterial. Bugatti plans new 286mph, 1479bhp Veyron successor | Autocar
Cars like this are completely useless. But the BUG is a showcase car for VAG group. It is a marvel of automotive engineering. Close to 1500hp in a car you can drive to walmart. Amazing in my eyes.
In terms of technology it will be an achievement, but at what cost. VW must loose a lot on each and every one of these cars. How long can they indulge in that game?
I'd much rather have car w 0-100 in 4 seconds & 2 G cornering that tops out at 205 Much more useful on a track
Zzz Absolutely pointless. A few years ago I read an article that Bugatti claimed that less than 1% of their customers have had their Veyron at top speed (remember that Bugatti get data of all veyrons running, including top speed). Now with another 30 or so MPH added...This is really nothing else but a bragging rights car unfortunately. Obviously most supercars are (by most users) but I stand by my point...
Sure, they lose money on the sale of the actual car, but the bragging rights of the numbers will sell a lot of keychains, mouse pads, posters, video game image rights, etc. The technology going into these cars must also filter into other brands in the VW umbrella, so it isn't wasted development. I'm sure it makes some sense or a for-profit company wouldn't continue to undertake these projects and price these cars to customers at a net loss per unit. All the best, Andrew.
another way of looking at it is they actually get to sell (and generate some revenue from) their R&D exercises.
More and more people are waking up to the idea that the performance wars are silly and meaningless. Makes me happy.
When did ego have to make sense? Not much different from the VW Phaeton in that respect. (also tops in loss making cars Daily chart: Zoom, sputter, aagghhh!! | The Economist )
Bugatti is a pet project of Ferdinand Piech. No one I know thinks VW makes any money with it, even including the merchandise, but Piech is too powerful - otherwise, I bet Bugatti would be shut down. Remember that VW's biggest shareholder is the Porsche family, headed by Piech.
l like it! this is a technology feast. Beside customers demand it and the customer is always right. Who cares if they use it or not. I am releived that they will keep the idea alive instead of doing a "saloon" car. Wouldyou guy profer tosee buggatti doing an SUV ? come on! "Earlier plans by Bugatti to replace the mid-engined Veyron with a production version of the front-engined 16C Galibier saloon concept were cancelled following consultation with customers, who are said to have favoured a more extreme sports car with the performance to outrun the latest crop of 
high-end supercars."
Some people buy them as investment and store them, like one buys a painting to put it in a vault waiting for the value to climb.
Most buyers are old men. No need for manual transmissions. Have you ever been to a few F club events ? Most people show up for the breakfast and avoid the fun run. Quite a few never drove an F car on a fun run. The F car was used to drive to and from the breakfast.
The only ones I went to where always at Zandvoort, which took place at the actual race track. Sure...not all drove them on the track but quite a few did. I'm not saying the new Bug should go the complete opposite direction and make the new F40 (although that would be far more fun), but 1500hp and 290mph are just stupid ****ing targets. And yes, all (with the exception of a handful) will be driven by the most dreary of men who can and will recite exactly what the car is capable of yet almost certainly has never been faster than 120mph himself . The Bug was always going to be a poser mobile, as are most supercars unfortunately so my rant is quite pointless. Unfortunately, a lot owners will buy whatever Ferrari/Bugatti/Lamborgini will dangle in front of them as long as on paper the car is better. More hp? Check. Faster 0-60? Check. Here's my CC, I'll have the first delivery please... It's exactly what Jerry says ''people are finally waking up that the hp war is pointless''. He's completely right. The new Ferrari entry (!!) car will have 680hp. The Scuderia version of that will have over 700. I'm sure the next gen will then have 800hp. How far away from a 1000hp entry level ferrari are we? The new 458 should be 200kg lighter with the same power instead...
I love it ... the extreem engineering is like art. there is no purpose for a Monet but they are priceless, and same for Bugatti. I've been fortunate enough to see several in person and ride in one, they are amazing cars but still a car. what is so impressive is how small they are and normal to use. the murmur from the inside the car is very sweet. its like a leather / alcantara lined lounge chair. My only regret with Bugatti is that they are not racing. And that I can't afford one.
VAG is a multibillion dollar automotive empire. They can waste money on things like this indefinitely. "At top speed" sure I don't imagine many drivers get a chance to hit VMAX. Very few sportscars let you hit absolute vmax, unless electronically limited to a low speed. The last few MPH are almost impossible to squeeze out. I would think that the percentage of Veyrons that have seen >200 is much larger than any other supercar, though. Exactly.
I think from a normal idea, the whole concept is just silly. That being said, I've never liked the Veyron from the start. It just looks like an ugly, pumped up, Beetle on steroids! No offence to any owners on site. I think it's better to have same HP, but better aero efficiency, weight reduction, and a car you can have fun at the track.
Did VW have to turn off the top speed governor to achieve this? Expect Hennessey to come out of the wood work to challenge this record. When they beat did beat the record the last time they did in a much smaller distance than the Veyron has with their high speed bowl they got. Not bad for a car with a VW engine. But anytime you have 16 cylinders then throw four turbos at it something is bound to happen.
I think I heard that they lose ~$4mil on each car sold... With 400 cars over 10 years (selling cars '08-'15 and 2yrs of r&d?), that's only $160mil a year, which is very little compared to the size of the VW group - think of it as part of the marketing budget... The speed/power thing is getting crazy, but who cares? How many drivers of any car ever reach max mph? I bet only 1% if not less of f-cars ever reach vmax... Making cars that cost $1mil new is crazy too, but many make them now, and they all sell... If I had that much money to burn on fun, I'd get one! I'd prefer a p1/LaF/918, but I promise you the wife would prefer the Bug (comfort) for dinner trips, etc, and 7 figure decisions are likely to be somewhat jointly made... Also, didn't the VW Pheaton end up becoming the Flying Spur? Not a total loss in the end I suppose...
