Bugatti reveals first hybrid car, with 1,800 horsepower and $4 million price tag


Evelyn Lau
  • English
  • Arabic

Bugatti has revealed its first plug-in hybrid car.

Called the Tourbillon, the model delivers 1,800 horsepower, with a 16-cylinder engine and a price tag of $4 million. Only 250 will be built.

This is the first model in more than 20 years that is not powered by a turbocharged W16 engine.

Instead, it has a 1,000-horsepower, 8.3-litre V16 petrol engine assisted by three electric motors. There is one motor in the back and two in the front that together can put out at least 800 horsepower.

  • The Tourbillon is Bugatti's first hybrid power vehicle. All photos: Bugatti
    The Tourbillon is Bugatti's first hybrid power vehicle. All photos: Bugatti
  • Only 250 Tourbillons will be built
    Only 250 Tourbillons will be built
  • The Tourbillon can travel 60km on electric power before the petrol engine turns on
    The Tourbillon can travel 60km on electric power before the petrol engine turns on
  • The Bugatti’s instrument display is modelled after mechanical watch dials and was created along with the expertise of Swiss watchmakers
    The Bugatti’s instrument display is modelled after mechanical watch dials and was created along with the expertise of Swiss watchmakers
  • Bugatti has included a touchscreen, which is a rarity in its vehicles
    Bugatti has included a touchscreen, which is a rarity in its vehicles
  • This is the first model in more than 20 years to not be powered by a turbocharged W16 engine
    This is the first model in more than 20 years to not be powered by a turbocharged W16 engine
  • The maximum speed target is 445kph, but the speedometer reaches 550kph
    The maximum speed target is 445kph, but the speedometer reaches 550kph
  • The hybrid has a price tag of $4 million
    The hybrid has a price tag of $4 million
  • Production is scheduled to begin in 2026
    Production is scheduled to begin in 2026

On a fully charged battery, the Tourbillon can travel 60km on electric power before the petrol engine turns on, but there is the option to just run the petrol engine continuously.

The maximum speed target is 445kph but the speedometer reads as high as 550kph.

The interior pays homage to old-fashioned machinery and was created to be “timeless”. However, unlike in other Bugattis, a large display screen with Apple CarPlay is available and comes out from the dashboard to be visible upon driver command only.

The company generally avoids putting screens in its vehicles as it does not want them to become outdated.

The Tourbillon is named after the set of gears in a mechanical watch. The Bugatti’s instrument display is also modelled after mechanical watch dials and was created with the expertise of Swiss watchmakers.

The speedometer display has two needles like the hands of a clock, with the long hand showing the car’s speed and the short hand registering the revolutions per minute of the 16-cylinder engine.

“The Tourbillon had to be incomparable in every respect. Our philosophy has been to take any single aspect of Chiron and elevate it, looking for elegant and sophisticated engineering solutions and new technologies to deliver a timeless masterpiece,” said Emilio Scervo, chief technology officer for Bugatti Rimac.

“We wanted someone to be able to take any piece of this car, from inside, outside or under the skin, and believe that it could be placed in an art gallery.

"The result is a car which is beautiful inside and outside, the most powerful Bugatti to date which simultaneously elevates mechanical fascination and technical beauty to a whole new level.”

Production is scheduled to begin in 2026.

The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

Islamophobia definition

A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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A State of Passion

Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi

Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah

Rating: 4/5

Votes

Total votes: 1.8 million

Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes

Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes 

The specs

Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder

Transmission: 7-speed auto

0-100kmh 2.3 seconds

0-200kmh 5.5 seconds

0-300kmh 11.6 seconds

Power: 1500hp

Torque: 1600Nm

Price: Dh13,400,000

On sale: now

Updated: June 22, 2024, 1:54 PM