For the year 2025 Bugatti Aerolithe Concept Microturbine Electric Hybrid 450 hp 220 mph 0-62 mph 2,7 s £900,000 Design by Douglas Hogg.
The new 2025 Bugatti Aerolithe concept represents a return to the brand values and holistic attitude of Ettore Bugatti that made Bugatti cars so great — simplicity, beauty and intelligence. The new Aerolithe takes theme and style inspiration from the lightweight original and re imagines it as a futuristic and exclusive GT car for 15 years in the future – the vanguard of a new wave of intelligent luxury.
The dramatic styling is an exercise in pure surfacing. It references the original with its elegant proportions and split windows, whilst carving out a new design direction for Bugatti utilising clean, unbroken surfacing and advanced aerodynamics. The main bodywork is completely smooth, uncluttered by external mirrors, door handles and clunky spoilers. The lines are inspired by organic forms, science fiction and the original 193 Aerolithe. Up front, the signature Bugatti ‘Horseshoe’ grill in is a direct ram air intake to the turbine engine, whilst the headlights apertures in the front double up as cooling ducts to cool the brakes. At the rear, the boot lid features two jet fighter inspired pop up air brakes to stabilise the car under braking, whilst the rear lights also double up as cooling ducts. Advanced technology integrated so harmoniously into the clean bodyshell that you would never know it was there.
Underbody aerodynamics are a key feature of the Aerolithe and allow it to have such clean styling. Two air channels run the full length of the underbody of the car directing air from the front, around the almond shaped cabin, back to the massive double diffuser at the rear. This generates enough downforce to keep the car firmly glued to the road at speed without the need for any visible rear spoiler.
The Aerospace inspired split canopy doors of the Aerolithe concept are a stand out feature designed primarily to allow easy access to the cabin, but also to generate street theatre when the car pulls up. Each side opens independently of the other, and splits into a top and bottom half. The bottom half of each door tucks under the sill, whilst the top half swings up and forwards taking with it a massive swathe of bodywork and the whole dashboard. The steering column can then raise into the space left by the door, giving an enormous aperture to allow users of all shapes and sizes to easily get in and out.
The polished aluminium centre spine is a key styling and construction feature. It references the riveted central seam line of the original and develops it into a key structural component running throughout the interior and exterior. Beneath the sensuous carbon fibre bodywork is a highly efficient and dynamic mechanical package. The Aerolithe features titanium, magnesium and composite materials throughout to keep the weight down to around 1400kg. The passenger safety cell is bullet proof, with Aluminium Oxynitride windows. Driving a one million pound car you never can be too careful.
Propulsion is provided by an advanced Microturbine battery hybrid drivetrain. Microturbines are an emerging technology that will see great use in the automotive industry in the coming years. They are compact, lightweight and highly efficient. They can run on almost anything that burns –petrol, diesel, kerosene, alcohol, even perfume. In the Aerolithe the Microturbine functions only as a generator with no mechanical link to the wheels. Its only function is to generate electricity to charge the batteries on the move. In general terms, the Aerolithe is an electric car. The Microturbine engine is a range extender for the batteries, giving a theoretical range of up to 800 miles on one tank of fuel.