Bugatti boss Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen has said that the company will replace the Veyron supercar around 2012 with another ultra high-end model. The confirmation confounds previous speculation that Bugatti would be wound-up when Veyron production comes to an end.“We will be staying on top of everybody else and we will not be producing a smaller, or cheaper car and we will not be moving volumes up. Bugatti customers are very extreme people,” he told Autocar. >> Read about the new Bugatti Veyron Grand SportPaefgen said that Bugatti hasn’t finally decided on the new model. One high-level source told us that the company was considering a second model line possibly a luxury saloon to rival the Rolls-Royce Phantom. He also told us that advanced biofuel technology was being considered and even diesel. The possibility of Bugatti sharing components with Bentley is also being discussed at a high level. If Bugatti was to give the go ahead to a saloon, the car would be likely to share a platform, and other major components, with the next Arnage, due in 2012. Autocar has also learned Bugatti will build an even more extreme version of the Veyron as the end of the current model’s production cycle. Although it is still officially denied by the company, we understand that some customers have put deposits down on a more powerful 'GT' version. According to Bugatti engineering boss, Dr. Wolfgang Schreiber, it will be possible to get more power and torque from the 987bhp, quad-turbocharged 16-cylinder engine: "We can go to 1106lb ft of torque and we currently have [922lb ft] - and with a turbocharged engine, engineers are always working on getting higher power." There has been speculation that the Veyron GT could top 1200bhp and be capable of 270mph.

Chas Hallett