'Extraordinary' price for next Bugatti

Bugatti is pushing ahead with plans to launch a super-luxurious, ultra-rapid saloon - and it could end up more expensive than the Veyron hypercar it replaces.

The VW-owned luxury car maker has been showing prospective customers the new model, called Galibier, in an attempt to tap into the well-heeled customer base that has kept the Veyron going in ever-more wild incarnations since 2005. Now the company's ceo Wolfgang Durheimer has revealed that he's put forward a proposal to make the car.

'I am in discussions with the board,' he said: 'This will be the fastest limousine in the world, and have the biggest production engine with 16 cylinders.'

That's a clear indication that in order to build on Bugatti's reputation as the manufacturer of the world's fastest cars a status that 'must be retained', according to Durheimer - its power output is likely to be at least on a par with the Veyron's.

'We should be thinking of a minimum of 1000 horsepower for all Bugattis,' said Durheimer. It also suggests that the Galibier will shun hybrid or eco technologies and stick with a development of Bugatti's 16-cylinder engine.

Durheimer also hinted that the Galibier could end up trumping the Veyron's 1m list price; 'It will have an extraordinary price,' he acknowledged.

Around 100 Veyrons remain to be built before the car's production run comes to an end; even so, were unlikely to see the Galibier on sale until the end of 2013 at the earliest.