Bugatti's new US CEO talks manuals, electric hypercars and the business of tariffs
Bugatti recently celebrated 20 years in the U.S.
There's no shortage of hypercars in the world. Brands like Aston Martin, McLaren, Ferrari and Gordon Murray Automotive are building exotic roadsters and coupes that deliver unprecedented power. Then there's Bugatti.
The storied French marque has been producing seven-figure sports cars that are masterfully engineered and terrifyingly fast for 117 years. Its recent creation, the 1,800-horsepower hybrid Tourbillon, will soon be delivered to discerning clients, a majority of whom are in the U.S.
Sascha Doering, Bugatti's newly appointed CEO of the Americas, understands the importance of selling cars here. It's the top market for the niche automaker and this year the brand is celebrating 20 years in the country, with the Veyron being the first Bugatti to hit U.S. streets.
Seeing a Bugatti in person can be limited to auto shows. Doering may be able to change that -- he's trying to get even more owners to drive their Chirons, Mistrals and Divos more frequently.
"It is, of course, a special experience to take it out," Doering told ABC News.
Bugatti, like all foreign automakers, has not been immune from the tariff pressures. There are also questions on whether Bugatti will stay true to its heritage after it merged with Croatian electric startup Rimac. Doering sat down with ABC News to discuss the brand's long history, how he's keeping customers happy and whether we'll see an electric Bugatti one day.
The interview below has been edited for clarity.
Q: The brand is celebrating 20 years in the U.S. What's your prediction for the next 20 years? Will people be driving cars then?
A: People will be driving our cars, I can tell you that. North America is the single most important market for Bugatti in the world. It's really about creating a community. We have amazing cars. We're just about to deliver Tourbillon. We see this trajectory in the strength of the market continuing. We have incredibly strong customer relationships and bonds.
We know there won't be a self-driving Bugatti in 20 years. Why? Because of emotions. This is an emotional product. The Tourbillon, at its core, has a naturally aspirated, high-revving V16 engine. It's all about goosebumps and emotion. The interior is mechanical and analog. We want our clients to be the happiest kids with their masterpieces. We want our customers to drive [their cars] in 20 years and still have a smile in their eyes. That's why we exist.
Q: The Tourbillon is really an engineering feat. How does the brand surpass that engineering accomplishment?
A: We believe in Mate [Bugatti Rimac CEO]. From an engineering perspective, we believe in our vision of creating the pinnacle of innovation, craftsmanship, luxury and design. This is the only task that we have -- staying true to those principles that honestly we have never diverted on ever in our history. We will continue to push the boundaries, continue to always innovate and set new pinnacles of beauty.
The Destrier is a beautiful masterpiece. It's a different design. It's based on the most extreme chassis that we have (the Bolide). We are fully confident from a design and engineering perspective that there's always another pinnacle to reach.
Q: Let's talk about electrification. The Tourbillon is technically a hybrid. How important is electrification to Bugatti?
A: It's about emotions at the end of the day. And electrification adds an important piece to it. The Tourbillon is truly the best of both worlds: the feel, the sensation, the sound, the vibration of the engine. But it's also a combination of the torque that you have from the electric powertrain.
Q: Bugatti has delivered 353 cars over 20 years to U.S. customers. That's about 17 cars a year. Are you trying to increase that number?
A: We started about 20 years ago in the North America market with a global share of roughly 20%-25%. Now it's 35%-45%. We have been increasing the allocations in the North American market. Customers are really happy with us here. They are seeking the brand and the product.
Last year we delivered around 60 cars for the North American market, an absolute record.
We currently have 12 Bugatti dealerships in the U.S., two in Canada and one in Mexico. There is no need to have more partners. We are not looking to increase capacity output to build more cars.
Q: What are your plans for the brand since taking over as head of the Americas? Are you trying to bring in a younger clientele? New customers?
A: The No. 1 objective for us is to build a strong client community. What I mean is relationships and experiences. We have a strong customer base here in the U.S. and it's important that we spend time with them. A lot of the clients own more than one Bugatti. One client in North America owns 14 Bugattis.
We are in the business of relationships. This is not a transaction. It's actually deeper than that. The journey is a long one. You order a Tourbillon now and we'll spec it with our designers. In four years the car will be delivered.
We see more and more younger buyers interested in the brand. We went from an average [customer] age of 52 to about 42. Our demographics are getting slightly younger.
Q: Is the brand trying to reduce the long wait periods for customer deliveries? Have you heard from unhappy customers?
A: Our customers are very eager to have their cars. We sold the Tourbillon coupe two years ago. We're just about to deliver the first ones in the world. We are targeting global deliveries in Q2 of 2027. In the U.S., we are a few months later than that. That puts us at three-ish years [for deliveries]. The number of cars we produce a year won't change. Currently it's about a 100 cars a year. Residual value is incredibly important to our customers. There will always be a waiting time.
Q: Mate Rimac has said in recent interviews that Bugatti could produce a supercar with a manual transmission. Is that what Bugatti customers are asking for? How likely would this happen?
A: Looking at the general industry, we're going back to the simple basics of things like the emotions of a naturally aspirated engine and manual transmissions. Bugatti will always do its own interpretation of innovation [and] be the most emotional product it can be. And the rest is up to Mate.
Q: Has anyone said to you, Sascha please make an all-electric Bugatti?
A: No.
Q: What is Bugatti's biggest challenge right now?
A: Bugatti is super strong at the moment. Last year we had tariffs. We delivered all the Mistrals, all of Bolides against the headwind of tariffs. That was a challenge. Why? Because clients were obviously not happy about [the tariffs]. And we helped and supported them. Not one client canceled an order. Are tariffs still here? Yes. Are the tariffs a lot for a $4.6 million Tourbillon? Yes. We have not modified our prices at all. However, the tariffs are getting added on top, which increases the financial burden for the client.
Bugattis, and the final assembly of the Tourbillon, will continue to be built in Molsheim [France].
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