2017 Bugatti Chiron vs 2016 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

Bugatti Chiron Press Release Highlights

Bugatti is celebrating a world premiere at the Geneva International Motor Show: the French luxury brand is unveiling the Bugatti Chiron, the most powerful, fastest, most luxurious and most exclusive production super sports car in the world. The Chiron is the latest generation of the ultimate super sports car and is a completely new development. The sports car manufacturer from Molsheim, with its long tradition, has taken the unique features of a modern Bugatti to a new level and developed a high-performance machine that has become significantly better in every respect. With a power output of 1,500 HP, unprecedented for production vehicles, an exceptionally high torque value of 1,600 Nm between 2,000 and 6,000 rpm and a wide variety of technical innovations, the Chiron sets new standards in every respect. The Chiron is therefore very well-positioned to become the next world speed record holder and reach a maximum speed significantly above the record currently held by Bugatti. The manufacturer has limited the maximum speed of the new car to 420 km/h for road use. The Chiron is to be built at the company’s headquarters in Molsheim. Only 500 of these exceptional cars are to be produced. The basic price is €2.4 million net. Currently, advance orders have been received for one third of the total production run. The first vehicle is due to be delivered to a customer this autumn.



The Bugatti Chiron is the world’s first super sports car to bring 1,500 HP onto the road with a torque of 1.600 Nm at 2,000 to 6,000 rpm with tremendous effectiveness, extremely high safety levels and unprecedented comfort.



This is the result of the legendary and unique eight-litre W16 engine that has been newly developed by Bugatti. In combination with the four new, larger turbochargers that are controlled by the Bugatti two-stage turbocharging, an innovation that Bugatti is introducing, and a large number of other technical refinements and innovations, maximum performance is available constantly and can be easily controlled at all speeds. In its Top Speed mode, the car reaches the maximum speed of 420 km/h, limited for road use – however, this is by no means the end of the road for the Bugatti Chiron.



With the new carbon fibre monocoque, a newly designed adaptive chassis, tyres developed especially for Bugatti and other innovative technologies, the Chiron is not only a champion in terms of maximum acceleration but is, for the first time, also an agile, modern Bugatti with handling that ensures maximum driving pleasure.



The design of the Chiron combines significantly more “beast” with a very high level of “beauty”. The design language introduced by Bugatti with the Chiron has a significantly more aggressive tone and does justice to the character of the new super sports car. The designers have succeeded in reinterpreting Bugatti’s DNA with its distinctive features in a modern manifestation at the same time as adding new features resulting from the technical demands of even higher performance. The Chiron remains unmistakably a Bugatti.

Powertrain Newly developed W16 engine

1,500 HP was the power target for the Chiron. To achieve this objective, the eight-litre W16 engine which is already well-known to customers and fans was completely redesigned. To achieve a power boost of 25 percent compared with the predecessor, almost every component of the engine was considered and redesigned. To compensate for the weight increase caused by the high power output, greater use is made of lightweight materials such as titanium and carbon fibre. For example, the intake tube, the charge air system and the chain housing are all made of carbon fibre. The weight of the new crankshaft has also been optimised.



The key factors in the increased power output are higher-performance turbochargers and duplex fuel injection with 32 injectors. In addition, the charge air cooling system has been improved. As a result, more than 60,000 litres of air per minute are pumped through the engine. The coolant pump is also a very high-performance unit. In one minute, it circulates 800 litres of water through the entire engine.



Two-stage turbocharging is the outstanding technical feature of the powertrain

The engine is fitted with four larger, higher-performance turbochargers. They are operated in a two-stage configuration. The two-stage turbocharging system developed by Bugatti especially for this car is the outstanding technical feature of the Chiron powertrain. To ensure maximum acceleration from a standstill without the “turbo lag” feared by sports car drivers, the Chiron moves off the mark with only two turbochargers in operation. The other two units are only activated at about 3,800 rpm. As a result, the two-stage turbocharging delivers an absolutely linear power curve from 2,000 rpm, huge torque in the low engine speed range and a power output that can be controlled and dosed rather well.



New titanium exhaust system / the main catalytic converters are about six times as large as the unit fitted to a medium-sized car

Another feature that boosts the power output is the new titanium exhaust system with reduced exhaust gas back pressure. The system is fully insulated and equipped with four pre-converters and two main catalytic converters which are considerably larger than their predecessors. The main converters are about six times as large as the unit fitted to a medium-sized car. The total active surface of the six converters used for exhaust gas treatment is about 230,266 m², corresponding to the area of more than 30 soccer fields. From the catalytic converters, the exhaust gas is fed to a silencer which is extremely light compared with similar units, weighing only 20 kg. While other manufacturers use stainless steel, the silencer of the Chiron is made from titanium. The exhaust system is rounded off by six tailpipes, with four routed to the rear and two pointing downwards.



The transmission has the largest, highest-performance clutch fitted to a passenger car

The powertrain features a front-axle differential with integrated inter-axle lock and a rear-axle differential with integrated inter-wheel lock and a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox designed for a torque of 1,600 Nm. This gearbox developed especially by Bugatti has the largest, highest-performance clutch used on a passenger car. It goes almost without saying that the Chiron has permanent four-wheel drive.

Chassis Highly sophisticated monocoque with extremely high rigidity – LMP1 level

The monocoque of the Chiron is made entirely from carbon fibre and is designed for crash protection. This newly developed unit is the technically most sophisticated monocoque in its class. For the first time, the rear end of the car is also made from carbon fibre. If all the fibres used in the monocoque were laid out end to end, they would stretch nine times the distance between the earth and the moon. The production of a monocoque takes four weeks.



For the first time, Bugatti has developed an adaptive chassis – for significantly greater agility and driving comfort

Bugatti has developed an adaptive chassis for the Chiron. This provides an extremely dynamic driving experience, very direct response, considerably more agility, precise steering response, fast cornering and outstanding roadholding even at high cornering speeds – in other words, the driver has maximum driving pleasure in a very comfortable overall package.



New high-performance tyres tested at aerospace facilities

The Chiron is shod with entirely new high-performance tyres, once again developed by Bugatti together with its strategic tyre partner Michelin. As with the Chiron as a whole there are no compromises in the case of the tyres. They must transfer maximum torque of up to 5,000 Nm per wheel safely to the road and develop unprecedentedly high lateral guidance for the high-performance coupe. In addition, they need to be comfortable in city traffic and roll reliably at high speed. The tremendous forces on the tyre at a speed of 400 km/h show what is needed. Each single gram of rubber is exposed to centrifugal force of 3,800 g, the result of acceleration some 3,800 times the force of gravity.



Newly developed high-performance brakes with Formula One technical modules

The world’s fastest production super sports car needs the best brakes in the world. Bugatti uses special carbon ceramic brake discs made from carbon silicon carbide (CSiC). This material makes the brake disk lighter at the same time as giving it greater improved corrosion resistance, performance and durability. In addition, the front and rear brake discs of the Chiron have a diameter which is 20 mm larger and have become 2 mm thicker, resulting in more effective heat dissipation by the brake discs and improved performance on the track.



New adaptive chassis with five driving programs

The adaptive chassis of the Bugatti Chiron has five different driving programs: Lift, EB “Auto”, Autobahn, Handling und Top Speed. This new control strategy was necessary as a result of the extremely high power output and especially the huge maximum torque of the Chiron, which is available over 70 percent of the entire engine speed range. The main actuators used in the individual driving programs are the chassis height adjustment, the electronically controlled shock absorbers, the electronically controlled power assisted steering, the four-wheel drive with “easy to drift” feature, the electronically controlled rear differential, the aerodynamic control system and the stability and brake control system. All these actuators ensure that the super sports car is ideally adjusted for the driving mode which has been selected.



Aerodynamics

Aerodynamics and cooling are extremely important, especially in the super sports car sector. The Chiron is a largely enclosed vehicle designed to obtain the best possible aerodynamic properties. For this reason, air flow through the vehicle for cooling presents an enormous challenge. This internal combustion engine with a power output of 1,500 HP can generate more than 3,000 HP of heat which needs to be dissipated.



Newly developed heat shield for very-high-efficiency brake cooling

Three air inflows on each side of the car are used for brake cooling, guiding cooling air through the wheel rim. For this purpose, Bugatti has developed an extremely sophisticated heat shield, for which a patent application has been filed. This shield guides hot air through the brakes to the exterior, providing extremely effective brake cooling.



Active aerodynamics system is a unique combination of performance-defining features

Apart from the passive aerodynamic features already mentioned, the Chiron also has an active aerodynamics system. This is a uniquely sophisticated combination of performance-defining features including the hydraulic diffuser flap with optimised geometry on the front axle to ensure lower drag and improved brake cooling, the adaptive chassis which allows different ground clearances to be set and the active air brake.



Highest-performance, most intelligent cooling system in sports car sector

The Chiron is equipped with two cooling water loops, a high-temperature loop for engine cooling and a low-temperature loop for charge air cooling. The high-temperature loop features one main and two auxiliary radiators with 37 litres of cooling water which are pumped through the entire cooling loop in about three seconds. The low-temperature loop designed by Bugatti to ensure outstanding everyday practicality for its super sports cars is equipped with one radiator and has a water volume of 12 litres. This loop prevents the charge air from overheating in stop-and-go driving and urban traffic.

Technology The world’s most intelligent super sports car with a high degree of future orientation

The Chiron is the world’s most intelligent production super sports car. It creates ideal conditions for the driver to concentrate fully on piloting a high-performance vehicle and enjoying his emotions without any distractions whatsoever. No fewer than 50 controllers manage the engine and transmission, the chassis components, the air conditioning and comfort functions. And of course, all these systems continue to perform reliably even at speeds significantly over 400 km/h.



Central console with highly sophisticated design

The Chiron is home to what is probably the most aesthetically pleasing and narrowest central console used in the automobile sector. The console features the selector lever and four round air conditioning switches with indicators under glass hoods which can easily be seen not only from the driver’s seat but also by the passenger. On the first control level, the four rotary switches operate the air distribution, blower, temperature and seat heating functions. But that is not all. In line with the principle that a huge variety of functions should be presented in a way which is clear and allows intuitive operation, the second level of each indicator provides additional functions for the monitoring of driving performance data, also allowing individual programming, if the driver so desires. There are four different settings for the definition of different functions: the Icon mode, the Performance mode, the Cruise mode and the Classic mode.



High-performance high-end sound system makes the Chiron the world’s fastest concert hall

The audio system installed on the Chiron is simply sensational. Developed exclusively for Bugatti by the “accuton” brand, well-known for its high-end equipment, this is the most luxurious sound system available on a super sports car. Audio system connoisseurs will appreciate the use of a one-carat diamond membrane in each of the four tweeters, delivering a crystal-clear sound. In addition, the world’s first mid-range speaker with two separate membrane zones is fitted to the Chiron. In combination with other sophisticated features, the result is a sound platform that makes the Chiron the world’s fastest concert hall. It is almost unsurprising that the system can even be adjusted for different interior materials. It is even possible to take different types of leather into consideration. In the final resort, the occupants of a Chiron experience music not as if they were in front of the stage but as if they were sitting in the midst of the orchestra.



Further development of telemetry system for even more service and customer benefits

Among the equipment elements which are highly appreciated, Bugatti owners emphasise the telemetry function of their vehicles. For the new Chiron, the performance of this function has been significantly enhanced. To date, Bugatti technicians have been able to call up vehicle condition data at the request of the customer. With the telemetry system implemented on the new model, they will be able to carry out detailed preliminary investigations via the channels of the controllers. This can be important in order to make a precise assessment of any irregularities and the urgency of remedial action. In addition to the fast UMTS data transmission standard, the Chiron is also equipped with WLAN (Wifi). For example, this allows drivers to keep a diary of their trips with the super sports car.



Electromagnetic compatibility comparable to that of a military vehicle

In line with the heightened security requirements of Bugatti customers, the Chiron also features an extremely high level of electromagnetic compatibility. Here too, the Bugatti engineers did not accept any compromises; to be absolutely sure, they had additional tests carried out on the Chiron in accordance with the applicable military standard.

Safety First airbag in the world to shoot through a carbon fibre housing

The new design of the Chiron also meets all the latest worldwide safety standards. The Chiron boasts the most advanced airbag technology available, with a total of six airbags. Thanks to Bugatti’s outstanding expertise in airbag design, it proved possible to develop an airbag that shoots through a carbon fibre housing. This is the case with the dashboard on the passenger’s side and the seat housings.

Photo Comparison

Bugatti Chiron















Bugatti Veyron Super Sport















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