Bugatti Fastest Car on Indian Road By 2010, Most Expensive Cars

Volkswagen AG will drive in the fastest and most expensive car in India with the launch of legendary French car brand Bugatti next Year, a company executive said.

Bugatti Veyron, which can hit a top speed of more than 400 km per hour for the sports and coupe models, will cost anywhere between Rs 5 crore and Rs 12 crore when it hits the Indian roads by the mid-2010, said the executive requesting anonymity.

Volkswagen, which has become the world’s largest carmaker with its takeover of Porsche, will import Bugatti cars.

When contacted, Kurt Rippolz, head of communication Volkswagen India, refused to confirm the development. “It’s the independent decision of every brand to decide on the India strategy. The brand checks on the viability and whether there is a market potential, and then decides on its launch plans,” he said.

The German carmaker, which has a dozen brands in its portfolio including Scania and Man, is keen on bringing its high-end products such as the Porsche, Bentley and Lamborghini into India. The company is looking at ways of using its existing networks and systems to support these brands, the first executive said.

Currently, brands like Porsche and Bentley are imported by independent dealers.

The German carmaker has also bought close to 20% stake in Suzuki Motors and is expected to work together with the Japanese parent of India’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki on low-cost small cars for Indian and global markets. The original Bugatti company was set up exactly 100 years ago by Italian Ettore Bugatti in the town Molsheim, then part of the German Empire and a region of France since 1919, and started rolling out high-performance cars known for their engineering as well as artistry. Molsheim became the birthplace of some of the most exclusive and fastest cars in the world.

But the brand was hit when the World War II started. In 1963, Bugattis sold the company to Hispano-Suiza that was primarily interested in Bugatti’s airplane parts business.

In 1982, Romano Artioli, a finance broker and auto dealer, brought Bugatti trademarks rights and set up Bugatti Automobili SpA. But after rolling out only one model -- EB 110 in 1991 on the 100th birthday of Ettore Bugatti – the company filed for bankruptcy in 1995.

Volkswagen bought the brand name in 1998 and founded Bugatti Automobile SAS in the very next year. Over the last decade, it has rolled out a number of models including Bugatti EB 118, EB 218 and Bugatti 18.3 Chiron. In 2004, it launched two-door super sports car Veyron 16.4, named after French racing driver Pierre Veyron who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a Bugatti Type 57 in 1939. The Veyron debuted in China and Russia in 2007.

The carmaker recently unveiled the Bugatti Galibier 16C concept, which will be launched globally by 2013. The Galibier, touted as the most powerful four-door automobile in the world will be far more expensive that the Veyron at around $3.5 million.

News By ET