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The electrification of the automobile may just be the biggest change the industry has seen since Henry Ford churned out the first Model T. Naturally, electric cars of the future will look very different from the vehicles we have now considering they don’t have to accommodate big internal combustion engines, driveshafts, transmissions, or exhaust systems. When it comes to Bugatti, however, don’t expect its next-generation hybrid model to deviate too far from its existing style formula.
In an interview with The Drive at Monterey Car Week, Bugatti Design Director Achim Anscheidt hinted that its upcoming hybrid hypercar will still “look like a car,” very likely still look like a Bugatti (at least from the side), and not have some super out-there, super wild design.
“What I would certainly like to maintain is that whatever we do, you know, it needs to also visually transfer that it’s authentic in what we do. But even though the underpinnings might be now completely new, what we are thinking about in terms of a hybrid, it’s still a car. I’m not setting out to change things for the sake of changing.”
“Even when you are redoing the car completely going away from the momentary layout of ICE drivetrains, does that mean that you need to force a completely different kind of design in it because you can? And should you still do something that is clearly identifiable as a Bugatti? There’s barely another car brand that has such a strong graphic DNA as a Bugatti. It’s actually our side view DNA with the Bugatti line and its different interpretations. It’s almost stronger than the front view,” Anscheidt said.
On the flip side, Anscheidt also laments how boring current EV design has been considering the creative freedom “skateboard” platforms have afforded, even calling the Ford Mustang Mach-E’s mostly unnecessarily long front end a “penis extension.”
“I find that sometimes it’s a shame that just because we’re entering into an electric age for a lot of brands, why do all the cars all of a sudden look so bland? You know, electric cars very often have more power than combustion engine ones. So why can’t a car suggest that to the onlooker, you know? I feel that a lot of cars are going neutral.”
When we brought up the subject of the Mustang Mach-E’s long ICE car-style hood, Anscheidt remarked, “Maybe you don’t need to be stuck so much in this kinda retro, you know, excuse my French, this penis extension in front of the car. But at the same time, it’s also a mistake to completely throw all of this visual agreement worldwide of what makes a car look sexy just for the sake of changing something.”
“I don’t like pretending that there is an engine in there and then it’s not. It’s kind of silly. But that’s exactly the job of a chief designer. To find that calibration in order not to lose the customer and just be happy with your own work,” he added
In short, it would be great if auto designers were more creative and moved away from the phallic designs that came out of having to accommodate big, gas-guzzling V8s up front. But, at this point, customers know what they like and sometimes what they like is indeed a big ol’ [REDACTED].
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