Photo: Bugatti Automobiles SaS
Sure, some will say I'm pretty darn crazy for thinking that a Corvette can beat the luxury and performance of a Bugatti - but it really doesn't need to. More importantly, it will offer almost the same coolness at a fraction of the price.
Following last week's major reveals as the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing Le Monstre Edition and the CT4-V Blackwing Petit Pataud announced as tributes to the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1950, the Fiat Grande Panda debut, or the goodbye of the R35 Nissan GT-R with two new limited-run special editions, this week has been pretty peaceful with a few noteworthy exceptions. First, the 2024 Nissan Z Heritage Edition arrived as a pretty spectacular $59k throwback to the Datsun 240Z, and then Maserati paid homage to its MC12 model with the special edition MC20 Icona and MC20 Leggenda featuring special liveries in 20 examples each.
Of course, all these models are pretty niche-worthy. Instead, the vast majority of automobilists probably care more about the fact that BMW has presented the all-new G45 BMW X3 luxury compact crossover SUV. It will arrive in America from under $50k with two powertrains – both employing mild hybrid technology. The 30 xDrive model costs from $49,500 and the M50 xDrive is $64,100, respectively. The 2.0-liter TwinPower Turbo four-cylinder unit in the BMW X3 30 xDrive has 48V MHEV tech and bundles 55 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque for a brisk sprint to 60 mph (96 kph) in exactly six seconds.
Meanwhile, the M50 gets loads of M goodies (Adaptive M Sport suspension, M Sport brakes, 20-inch alloy wheels, M Sport differential, or the fresh BMW Iconic Glow contour lighting and M kidney grille, among others) plus a more elegant inline-six with M TwinPower Turbo and 48V for a total system output of 393 hp and 428 lb-ft of torque. Those specifications are all fine and dandy – but will everyone get past the wacky new design?
Additionally, we found out that the Tesla Model Y has topped the American-made Index for the third time, but it seems that EVs are not on trend anymore. So, let's get right down to it – the most important novelties of the week come from the ICE-powered part of the automotive realm. First, the modern Bugatti Veyron and Chiron hypercars have a worthy successor – the 2026 Bugatti Tourbillon. If you need the quick commands, zero to 60 mph (96 kph) will be swiftly dealt with in two seconds, followed by sprints to 124 mph (200 kph) in less than five seconds, to 186 mph (300 kph) in under ten seconds, and to 248 mph (400 kph) in no more than 25 seconds.
The top speed is also a crazy 276 mph or 444 kph, while the maximum rpm of the all-new powertrain created by the Bugatti-Rimac parent is 9,000 revolutions per minute. The assembly doesn't feature a quad-turbo W16 anymore like in the two modern predecessors. Instead, the company now has a plug-in hybrid setup with a 24.8-kWh battery, two electric motors at the front and one in the back, plus a bespoke naturally-aspirated V16 engine. Together, they produce 1,775 horsepower compared to the 1,578 in the best Chiron iteration, and the hypercar is also capable of running around town with zero emissions for up to 60 km or 37 miles.
Interestingly, the new Tourbillon is another Bugatti that doesn't stray away from the design imposed in the modern age by the EB 110. In fact, we have purposely selected the main image of this article with the blue Tourbillon seconded by equally blue examples of the Chiron, Veyron, and EB 110 series. It's completely evocative of the style adopted by the company in modern times, even though one model wasn't even done by the current iteration of the brand.
Alas, it also highlights a problem – once you see a Veyron, Chiron, or Tourbillon, someone who's not a connoisseur will easily mistake anyone for the other! Sure, the Tourbillon has many new party tricks up its hypercar sleeve – and it also had to respect some design precepts. But all three hypercars, although they span the better part of two decades, feel like major restyles. Sure, some will say that's the perfect way to preserve the company's identity and that any one of them will look timeless even 50 years from now. It could be – but the owner surely won't like it when a kid will ask if their $4 million hypercar is actually an older Chiron or Veyron!
No worries. There's one supercar in the making that may not be as exclusive as the Tourbillon, but it will surely be a lot more affordable and at least 99% exciting to drive and own. That would be the upcoming C8 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, the flagship of the new mid-size series that is coming out on July 25, according to GM's latest teaser – and a new chapter in the Team Corvette's book if the rumor mill is correct about switching from supercharging to a twin-turbo V8 assembly.
Of course, all these models are pretty niche-worthy. Instead, the vast majority of automobilists probably care more about the fact that BMW has presented the all-new G45 BMW X3 luxury compact crossover SUV. It will arrive in America from under $50k with two powertrains – both employing mild hybrid technology. The 30 xDrive model costs from $49,500 and the M50 xDrive is $64,100, respectively. The 2.0-liter TwinPower Turbo four-cylinder unit in the BMW X3 30 xDrive has 48V MHEV tech and bundles 55 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque for a brisk sprint to 60 mph (96 kph) in exactly six seconds.
Meanwhile, the M50 gets loads of M goodies (Adaptive M Sport suspension, M Sport brakes, 20-inch alloy wheels, M Sport differential, or the fresh BMW Iconic Glow contour lighting and M kidney grille, among others) plus a more elegant inline-six with M TwinPower Turbo and 48V for a total system output of 393 hp and 428 lb-ft of torque. Those specifications are all fine and dandy – but will everyone get past the wacky new design?
Additionally, we found out that the Tesla Model Y has topped the American-made Index for the third time, but it seems that EVs are not on trend anymore. So, let's get right down to it – the most important novelties of the week come from the ICE-powered part of the automotive realm. First, the modern Bugatti Veyron and Chiron hypercars have a worthy successor – the 2026 Bugatti Tourbillon. If you need the quick commands, zero to 60 mph (96 kph) will be swiftly dealt with in two seconds, followed by sprints to 124 mph (200 kph) in less than five seconds, to 186 mph (300 kph) in under ten seconds, and to 248 mph (400 kph) in no more than 25 seconds.
The top speed is also a crazy 276 mph or 444 kph, while the maximum rpm of the all-new powertrain created by the Bugatti-Rimac parent is 9,000 revolutions per minute. The assembly doesn't feature a quad-turbo W16 anymore like in the two modern predecessors. Instead, the company now has a plug-in hybrid setup with a 24.8-kWh battery, two electric motors at the front and one in the back, plus a bespoke naturally-aspirated V16 engine. Together, they produce 1,775 horsepower compared to the 1,578 in the best Chiron iteration, and the hypercar is also capable of running around town with zero emissions for up to 60 km or 37 miles.
Interestingly, the new Tourbillon is another Bugatti that doesn't stray away from the design imposed in the modern age by the EB 110. In fact, we have purposely selected the main image of this article with the blue Tourbillon seconded by equally blue examples of the Chiron, Veyron, and EB 110 series. It's completely evocative of the style adopted by the company in modern times, even though one model wasn't even done by the current iteration of the brand.
Alas, it also highlights a problem – once you see a Veyron, Chiron, or Tourbillon, someone who's not a connoisseur will easily mistake anyone for the other! Sure, the Tourbillon has many new party tricks up its hypercar sleeve – and it also had to respect some design precepts. But all three hypercars, although they span the better part of two decades, feel like major restyles. Sure, some will say that's the perfect way to preserve the company's identity and that any one of them will look timeless even 50 years from now. It could be – but the owner surely won't like it when a kid will ask if their $4 million hypercar is actually an older Chiron or Veyron!
No worries. There's one supercar in the making that may not be as exclusive as the Tourbillon, but it will surely be a lot more affordable and at least 99% exciting to drive and own. That would be the upcoming C8 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, the flagship of the new mid-size series that is coming out on July 25, according to GM's latest teaser – and a new chapter in the Team Corvette's book if the rumor mill is correct about switching from supercharging to a twin-turbo V8 assembly.
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