Bugatti’s New V16 Could Make Its Way Into A Front-Engined Grand Tourer
The company’s new head designer referred to it as a successor to the Type 57 SC Atlantic.
Back in 2015, Bugatti tragically cancelled its beautiful front-engined homage to the Type 57 SC Atlantic––being under the ownership of Volkswagen Group at the time, it had to avoid imposing big costs on its parent company as the events of the Dieselgate scandal unfolded. Fortunately, the mid-engined, W16-powered Chiron we know today made it to public roads, but it spent its entire production life by itself. However, its new Tourbillon successor, which has come hot off the press with a groundbreaking hybrid-assisted V16 engine, may not end up alone.
Frank Heyl, the recently-appointed head of design at Bugatti, recently spoke to Autocar about the possibility of a new front-engined model, this time with that monstrous 1,800-horsepower V16 engine under the hood. Just like the concept that unfortunately fell victim to Dieselgate roughly a decade ago, this one would take inspiration from the legendary Type 57 SC Atlantic.
“Certainly,” said Heyl regarding the prospect of fitting the V16 into a second Bugatti model. “I mean, look at the Type 57 SC Atlantic: it’s front-engined. So maybe later, but for now we are super-happy that we went this way.”
While Bugatti’s modern-day hypercars have always had a grand tourer element to them, a front-engined model that doesn’t focus on chasing performance numbers would be a refreshing departure from what the company currently builds. “Bugatti has not always just been sports cars,” Heyl noted.
A new front-engined Bugatti would more than likely be the result of further expansion of the automaker’s Sur Mesure bespoke division. While the firm’s recent projects were nothing more than rebodied Chirons, it could eventually move on to produce entirely unique vehicles, solely for the purpose of churning out more few-off machines. “We started, with Bolide, bringing coachbuilding back by using a drivetrain or rolling chassis and dressing it up in a different design,” Heyl said. “We continued to change with the Centodieci, and La Voiture Noire was crazy as a one-off car, and who knows what will come.”
He continued, “[It’s] an interesting aspect and it’s a growing market, and it’s especially relative to the kind of breed of customer that Bugatti serves – this aspect of ultimate individuality is very, very important. We’d like to develop the brand into a Couture – few-off, one-off, unique – kind of thing.”
While Heyl didn’t reveal much else about the front-engined Bugatti––at least, outside of its potential Type 57 SC Atlantic influence and more bespoke nature––it can be assumed that pricing for this V16-powered grand tourer will exceed that of the Tourbillon’s eye-watering $4.1 million sticker. After all, other high-end manufacturers such as Bentley and Rolls-Royce have also been releasing more limited-run models fetching million-dollar price tags. Rolls recently saw it fit to price its Droptail convertible at over $30 million, and that’s without Bugatti’s state-of-the-art V16. We can only imagine what the Tourbillon maker will charge for its own front-engined few-offs.
Image Credits: Bugatti
The Ram ProMaster City Might Make A Return To America With Electric Power
It’s part of Stellantis’s game plan to tackle Ford’s market share in the U.S. commercial sector.
Two years ago, North America’s compact van segment died as Ford, Ram, and Mercedes pulled their offerings from our shores almost simultaneously. Despite their wild popularity in Europe, these small vans never sold too well here, though they had vast potential as efficient runabouts for commercial use. Now, Ram is looking to revive the segment with plans for a bite-sized electric van aimed squarely at the U.S. market.
The new small van will serve as a spiritual successor to the late ProMaster City, which was sent to the crusher after the 2022 model year. Rumor has it that Ram will use the platform that currently underpins Fiat’s Scudo and E-Scudo vans that are currently on sale over in Europe. If that’s the case, production could begin in Turkey as soon as next year. Both commercial and passenger variants are planned.
Mopar Insiders cited statements from Chrysler and Ram CEO Chris Feuell during the company’s recent Investor Day, where a new electric commercial van was confirmed to be in the works. While that doesn’t exactly indicate whether this is in fact a new small van, Ram is currently in dire need of something to slot below the standard ProMaster, and Feuell hopes that the new addition to the lineup “will drive Ram’s record sales in 2025.”
At the same event, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares mentioned that the company has its sights set on Ford, which currently holds a “40% market share in the pro segment in the U.S.”
Assuming the ProMaster City successor does share its bones with the Fiat Scudo and E-Scudo, it could share a choice of 50 kWh and 75 kWh battery packs with the latter of the two. Europe’s WLTP cycle rates the E-Scudo at up to 205 miles of range, and support for DC fast-charging at up to 100 kW allows the van to charge up to 80% capacity in a span of 45 minutes.
There’s also a chance that Ram could use the Fiat Doblo as a base for its new small van, according to Autoblog. In Europe, the Doblo is even smaller than the Scudo, and is offered solely with a 50-kWh battery pack good for around 177 miles of range on the WLTP cycle. The Doblo would be the better choice if Ram is looking for faster charging times, as it takes only 30 minutes to charge up to 80% on the same 100-kW DC fast-charger.
Image Credits: Ram
2025 Volkswagen Jetta Gets A More Streamlined Look, GLI Keeps Its Manual
While standard Jetta models lose the manual option, the GLI keeps the stick shift alive.
With the Passat now long dead and the Arteon only recently meeting its demise, the Jetta is now the only remaining gas-powered sedan in Volkswagen’s lineup. Fortunately, the automaker is choosing not to ignore its rival to the Honda Civic, especially after it became VW’s third-bestselling model in the first quarter of 2024. Now there’s a second update in store for the seventh-generation Jetta to keep things fresh, with hopes that it will continue the recent jump in sales. The updates include sharper styling, more standard features, updates to the sporty Jetta GLI, and most importantly, an affordable starting price.
For 2025, the Jetta has abandoned last year’s bland, rental-spec looks, and instead it injects some much-needed style with a thinner design for the headlights and upper grille, as well as a stylish LED light bar on higher trims and a full-width rear light bar connecting each taillight. Elsewhere, there are redesigned bumpers, new designs for the 17-inch and 18-inch wheels (including a black package available for the SE and GLI), and two new exterior color options––Monterey Blue Pearl and Monument Gray.
The cabin also dials in on style this time around, though cheap plastic materials continue to run rampant on the dashboard and center console. Nonetheless, some effort is visible with the new hidden air vents blending into three horizontal slats that span the upper area of the dashboard, along with a new floating design for the central infotainment display, which upgrades to an 8.0-inch format as standard for all trims. All Jetta models also come standard with dual-zone automatic climate control, though it’s now controlled through VW’s dreaded capacitive touch controls rather than the old physical buttons.
The SE trim continues to sit just above the entry-level S, and it adds a considerable amount of standard equipment, including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, voice controls for the infotainment, a cooled wireless charger, SiriusXM radio, and two-tone perforated Microcloud leatherette seats. Elsewhere, the Sport now comes with black Molekular cloth seats, the SEL adds some new colors for its perforated Vienna leather upholstery, and the GLI adds red contrast stitching for its seats.
The new Jetta offers the same powertrains as before, which means the standard engine option is a turbocharged 1.5 liter inline-four connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission, sending 158 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels only. Unfortunately, the six-speed manual, which was available on last year’s S and Sport trims, has been deleted.
The sportier Jetta GLI still sends 228 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque to its front wheels with a turbocharged 2.0 liter inline-four hooked up to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. While the manual has disappeared from the standard Jetta, Volkswagen looks to please enthusiasts by keeping it as an option on the GLI. Alongside the renewed manual, the sportier Jetta continues to differentiate itself with larger brakes, a limited-slip differential, adaptive dampers, and upgrades to the exhaust system.
All 2025 Jetta models come standard with Volkswagen’s IQ.Drive driver-assist suite, which includes radars in the front and rear, a camera in front, and an ultrasound sensor system. The package also comes with more advanced safety features such as automatic emergency braking, a blind spot monitor, adaptive cruise control, and lane-keeping assist, as well as Emergency Assist, which actively determines whether the driver is paying attention or not, and has the ability to use the brakes and activate the hazards if the driver is deemed to have lost control of the sedan.
Volkswagen says the new Jetta will begin at $23,220 for the entry-level S trim, which is just $240 more than last year’s automatic-equipped Jetta S. However, the loss of the manual on non-GLI models makes for a small premium over last year’s $22,660 base sticker for the manual Jetta S. The refreshed sedan will hit dealers in the third quarter of this year, with full details and pricing for all trims to be released closer to that date.
