A year of incomparable luxury and innovation: Bugatti in 2023

Bugatti has always been a brand associated with craftsmanship and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, sitting outside of the traditional automotive space, exhibiting hallmarks of some of the world’s most iconic luxury brands. And throughout 2023, that commitment to evolving beyond automotive expanded even further.

The incomparable desirability of Bugatti models was showcased at a landmark auction, which saw the Chiron Profilée¹ set a new record as the most valuable new car ever auctioned. This automotive solitaire – a more radical design than the Chiron Sport² but less extreme than the Chiron Pur Sport³ – was the final Bugatti powered by the legendary W16 engine available to buy from the factory. It is a timeless piece of automotive history, one of the 81 examples delivered by the Atelier last year.

This ability to create tailor-made masterpieces that sit at the very pinnacle of both design and craftsmanship is what sets Bugatti apart, especially with the Sur Mesure personalization service. Bugatti unveiled at Monterrey Car Week perhaps its most ambitious Sur Mesure project yet: the Chiron Super Sport⁴ 'Golden Era'. The car captures the legacy of Bugatti through an intricate set of 45 sketches directly hand-drawn to its body. These sketches celebrate milestones since the company's founding in 1909 as well as iconic Bugatti models, ranging from the Château Saint Jean to the Type 57 SC Atlantic. This unique piece is the result of two years of innovative and bespoke craftsmanship, featuring entirely new techniques that elevate it from the world of automotive and into pure artistry. Throughout the year, other Sur Mesure projects like the '57 One of One' – an homage to the famous Type 57 SC Atlantic – also showcased the breadth of personalization available to customers who want to celebrate iconic moments in Bugatti history.

Maintaining this savoir-faire is a core part of the Bugatti DNA, delivering a level of expertise often associated with the most renowned luxury brands in the world. Willing to offer a platform to explore the modern-day luxury experience, Bugatti organized and hosted its very first 'Luxury Summit' in Molsheim, welcoming thought-leaders from different industries and international lifestyle media to delve into tomorrow's world, shifting trends and the evolution of customers' needs. Launching this event reinforced Bugatti's position as a forward-thinking beacon of innovation in the luxury landscape.

A perfect example of tailormade customer experience – one of the themes addressed at the first 'Luxury Summit'– is the 400 Drive hosted by Bugatti for a small group of customers. The brand offered an exclusive opportunity for select customers to take their own Bugatti models and attempt to surpass 400 km/h on the very same tarmac where the Space Shuttle once landed – one of the rare occasions for customers to achieve speeds in a car that very few others will have done, and in a place normally off-limits to the public. Seeking incomparable experiences for its customers, Bugatti was inspired by the philosophy on which the modern Bugatti brand was established when Ferdinand Piëch originally challenged his engineers and designers to create a car that could travel 400 km/h on the track in the day, and then transport its passengers to the opera at night.

The ethos of creating memorable experiences for customers also applied to the US and European Bugatti Grand Tour events. These tours, which were more successful than ever in 2023 with a never-before-seen number of participants, blended the thrill of driving Bugatti hyper sports cars through breathtaking landscapes with the opportunity for customers to discover a region's gastronomic treasures, cultural heritage and architectural jewels. For the Bugatti team and Bugatti owners, these tours give the opportunity to deepen already strong relationships and foster a sense of community among the Bugatti family further highlighting the brand's unwavering commitment to offering not just hyper sports cars that are at the very pinnacle of the automotive world, but a complete lifestyle experience.

The line-up of Bugatti hyper sports cars also continued to evolve in 2023, with the Bugatti Bolide⁵ making its public dynamic debut. On the hallowed asphalt of the Circuit de la Sarthe at the Le Mans 24 Hours Centenary race, the track-only Bolide thundered through each bend and down each straight with Bugatti Pilote Officiel Andy Wallace, a Le Mans winner of 1988 at the wheel. The Bolide, the most extreme modern Bugatti ever designed, embodies the purest incarnation yet of the legendary W16 engine, which has powered every Bugatti for the last two decades.

The man responsible for the design of many of those cars – Achim Anscheidt – stepped down last year from his Director of Design role to hand the reigns to his deputy, Frank Heyl. With the brand since 2008, Frank has already guided the design of iconic models like the Chiron⁶, Divo⁷, Bolide and W16 Mistral⁸, showcasing a philosophy that blends performance with pure aesthetics. In 2023, as the new Director of Design, he started to plot the future of Bugatti with the most technologically advanced, breathtakingly beautiful and authentic creations.

To make sure those advanced design creations have a customer experience to match, the Bugatti partner network further expanded and strengthened the presence of the brand around the globe. The addition of new partnerships in Baku, Hong Kong, Mexico City and Osaka represents a strategic move to meet the growing global demand for Bugatti hyper sports cars and to reinforce Bugatti's presence next to its international clientele with new trusted points of contacts.

By 2026, this expanded network of partners will have delivered more than 1,200 Bugatti hyper sports cars to customers worldwide, which puts servicing and maintenance as a core focal point for the brand. Following a development mantra for its hyper sports cars that recognizes the smallest detail can have the biggest impact, the brand underpins the importance of constantly evolving its aftersales service to ensure that each and every step of owning a Bugatti is incomparable. Leading the development of this experience is Alexis Ploix, Director of Aftersales and Customer Service based in Molsheim, who was appointed to the role in 2023.

Molsheim will always remain the heart of Bugatti, and throughout the year this place was celebrated as the link between the modern brand and the visionary founder. In 2023, the Bugatti Festival in Molsheim, organized by the Enthousiastes Bugatti Alsace (EBA), celebrated its 40^th anniversary. As a testimony to Bugatti's rich heritage, classic and modern car owners were invited to the brand's headquarters. Bugatti also continued to work closely with enthusiastic owners' clubs all over the world to secure and celebrate its incredible legacy.

Molsheim has always been at the core of the brand, its home since 1909. The Molsheim site has always evolved with the brand, both maintaining the spirit of the founder, but also resolutely focusing on the future. In 2024, the site will evolve once again, with an all-new building that will help the brand achieve its ambitious growth plans for the future.

Key to those growth plans is the delivery of Bolide and W16 Mistral models to customers all over the world. With both models already sold out, the Atelier in Molsheim will now turn to the hand assembly of these cars – the last to be powered by the Bugatti W16 engine. And with the final W16-powered models being built, Bugatti is set to embark upon a new journey in 2024.

"Ever since we delivered our first Veyron in 2005, we have been evolving Bugatti to maintain its position as the leading luxury hyper sports car maker in the world. As with previous years, 2023 has been incredible – pushing the boundaries of craftsmanship, engineering and design – but 2024 promises to be a breakthrough year in Bugatti's history. The world of luxury and automotive never stands still, and we must be constantly growing and innovating to maintain the vision of our founder Ettore Bugatti in that every one of his cars should be simply incomparable."

CHRISTOPHE PIOCHON
PRESIDENT AT BUGATTI AUTOMOBILES

¹ Chiron Profilée: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 44.56 / medium phase 24.80 / high phase 21.29 / extra high phase 21.57 / combined 25.19; CO2 emissions combined, g/km: 571.64; efficiency class: G

² Chiron Sport: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 44.56 / medium phase 24.80 / high phase 21.29 / extra high phase 21.57 / combined 25.19; CO2 emissions combined, g/km: 571.64; efficiency class: G

³ Chiron Pur Sport: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 44.56 / medium phase 24.80 / high phase 21.29 / extra high phase 21.57 / combined 25.19; CO2 emissions combined, g/km: 571.64; efficiency class: G

⁴ Chiron Super Sport: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 40.31 / medium phase 22.15 / high phase 17.89 / extra high phase 17.12 / combined 21.47; CO2 emissions combined, g/km: 486.72; efficiency class: G

⁵ Bolide: This model is not subject to Directive 1999/94/EC, as type approval has not yet been granted.

⁶ Chiron: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 44.56 / medium phase 24.80 / high phase 21.29 / extra high phase 21.57 / combined 25.19; CO2 emissions combined, g/km: 571.64; efficiency class: G

⁷ Divo: WLTP fuel consumption, l/100 km: low phase 43,33 / medium phase 22,15 / high phase 17,99 / extra high phase 18,28 / combined 22,32; CO2 emissions combined, g/km: 505,61; efficiency class: G

⁸ W16 Mistral: This model is not subject to Directive 1999/94/EC, as type approval has not yet been granted.