Bugatti Chiron roadster ruled out

Dr Stefan Brungs, head of sales and marketing at Bugatti, has told Autocar that there will be "no roadster or convertible" version of the Chiron, which was officially unveiled earlier this year.

Brungs did not mention why Bugatti isn't pressing ahead with an al fresco variant, but it might have to do with belt tightening in the wake of the Volkswagen Group's Dieselgate affair.

The automaker is pivoting away from diesel engines to electric drivetrains, and recently agreed to a US$14.7 billion ($19.7 billion) settlement with the US government, which covers fines, fixes to bring cars into compliance, environmental remediation, and compensation for owners.

When asked about faster versions of the Chiron, Brungs stated that Bugatti is investigating "different options for the car".

Currently, though, the brand is expending most of its efforts on selling out the standard Chiron's production run of 500 coupes. At its unveiling in March this year, around 165 Chirons were already sold.

Priced from 2.4 million euros ($3.5 million), the Chiron is powered by a 8.0-litre W16 engine assisted by four turbochargers. The W16 motor churns out 1103kW of power and 1600Nm of torque to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Tipping the scales at 1995 kilograms dry, the Chiron has an electronically limited top speed of 420km/h, and is said to be able to run from 0 to 100km/h in under 2.5 seconds.

Bugatti will attempt to set the world speed record for a road-legal vehicle with the Chiron in 2018.

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