Bugatti unveils new logo as it changes gear to become a luxury brand

Hypercar manufacturer Bugatti plans to switch from record-setting hypercars to super-expensive luxury electric vehicles.

Less than a year after Croatian electric manufacturer Rimac purchased a 55 per cent stake in Bugatti – with the remaining 45 per cent held by Porsche – the French brand has announced plans to offer more multi-million dollar road cars.

Bugatti is best known for its 400km/h-plus Veyron and Chiron quad-turbo W16 machine, but is making the shift to electric power to future-proof itself.

Headlining its new corporate identity is a simplified “EB” logo – the initials of company founder Ettore Bugatti.

However, the new logo won’t be used on its vehicles.

Instead the new badge will appear on the company’s new Ettore magazine, showrooms, and other corporate facilities such as the Molsheim factory in France.

“We did not just create a new look and feel,” said Managing Director for Sales and Marketing, Hendrik Malinowski, in a media statement. 

“We analysed where we came from, the historical connection we intensively referenced when re-installing the brand and the Veyron in the 2000s. 

“We evaluated, how did the Chiron change Bugatti’s positioning and brand appeal, how did the world change during the last 10 years. 

“Don’t forget, at the time the Veyron came out, the iPhone did not yet exist.

“Technologically we are on the right path to move the brand forward: with bold moves that will keep us ahead of the game.”

Bugatti Rimac CEO Mate Rimac says he hasn't ruled out the Chiron's successor retaining a petrol engine, despite his focus on electric cars.

"There is a future for combustion engines in Bugatti," Mate Rimac said last year.

"I don’t want to talk much about future plans yet, but I can tell you you’ll be astonished. You’ll be especially astonished by the features which have not yet been seen on any other car, and I am pushing also for a combustion engine."

While the Chiron replacement will likely be a petrol-hybrid, Bugatti will likely become a zero-emissions car maker in the future, ditching its iconic petrol-powered hypercars in favour of fully-electric vehicles.

Bugatti’s current model line-up includes the Chiron Super Sport, Centodieci and Bolide – all of which are sold out, with production continuing until existing orders are fulfilled.