cars news 10: Bugatti CEO: Sedan Based on Galibier Concept Back on the Table

Bugatti is talking about the on-again, off-again Galibier concept once more, but this time the brand may be serious. In an interview with Australia’s Drive, CEO Wolfgang Durheimer confirmed that Bugatti is again studying the possibility of producing a sedan based on the Galibier concept of 2009.

“At present I am following up four strategic ideas,” Durheimer told Drive. “The Galibier is one. I can’t talk about the others.”

Durheimer has never been good at hiding his enthusiasm for a four-door Bugatti. Earlier this year, he said, “I can’t get the idea for a four-door limousine out of my head. It’s one of the options we might look into again as a possible next project.” Durheimer wanted Bugatti to go full steam ahead with the Galibier when he was CEO the first time around in 2011, but a regime change in 2013 shelved those plans. Now that Durheimer is back at the helm, a Bugatti sedan is once again on the table.

“My heart continues to beat for this car, because we had some revolutionary approaches that no one to date has yet dared to place into production,” he continued. “I have some technological ideas for the next car, for the Galibier, that I was following up hard when I was at Bugatti the first time. I’m always walking around motor shows checking what the luxury field tells me. Not only in terms of luxury, but in technology.”

While it may sound like Durheimer wants to diversify Bugatti’s lineup, which currently only includes the Chiron, the executive hints that the brand doesn’t want to muck things up by adding a second model. “There is an idea to keep on going at Bugatti, but we don’t need a lineup with multiple model lines. As an engineer, when you execute an idea you then ask what is the next one,” he said. That could mean we won’t see a production Galibier until after the Chiron finishes its production run.

The car is rumored to be based on Volkswagen Group’s MSB platform, and would most likely be front-mid-engine like the concept. Pricing is said to be close to the Chiron’s roughly $2.7 million price tag. At that price, it won’t step on the toes of lesser ultra-lux sedans from VW Group like the Bentley Mulsanne. As for the other three options Bugatti is evaluating, you can bet an SUV is one of them.

Source: Drive