Somebody ought to call Scooby Doo and the Gang because there’s something fishy going on at Bugatti.

We’re not making any accusations, but put your thinking cap on and mull this one over. Midway through last year the automotive media started reporting that Bugatti officially decided to discontinue the Veyron. Sad as we all were to see the god-among-men go, we had come to terms with the idea.

That is until this morning when Ricardo, the company contracted to make the Veyron’s seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT), announced that they had another two year contract with the company to continue production.

Riddle us this, where would you be hiding if you were a Veyron transmission? Probably a Veyron, right? Well, not necessarily. Bugatti will be releasing a new luxury sedan called the Galibier, though the date is still a little murky. The last time we reported something on the car, it had been pushed to 2015, which makes us wonder what’s going on. A two-year contract means significant production, yet we’re three years away from the Galibier based on what CEO Wolfgang Durheimer said.

There are only a few conclusions we can see: more Veyrons, the Galibier getting a surprise debut, or Bugatti just really liking surplus transmissions. The idea of a contract that would expire before the Galibier’s supposed release date seems nebulous at best and let’s be honest and transmissions are as boring as plain milk. We’re going all-in on the world getting more Veyrons after all.

GALLERY: Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport

Bugatti is paying homage to its founder, Ettore Bugatti, by bringing a custom yellow and black Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport to the 2012 Qatar Motor Show. The horizontally-split yellow body with black carbon represents Ettore Bugatti’s favorite colors and shows of Bugatti’s continued tradition off different color schemes and materials to create unique cars.

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport is the world’s fastest, most powerful and most luxurious open-top car and this yellow and black creation surely gives it a race-inspired look. On the inside, the seats are finished in a yellow-colored leather with black stitching while the center console is in black carbon and the dashboard, steering wheel and gearshift are made of black leather with yellow stitching.

Bugatti also confirmed that the Veyron Coupe’s production has ended, with the final order placed in June 2011. The Grand Sport however is limited to 150 units with 105 still available at around $1.8-million.

GALLERY: Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

If you thought the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport was the last and most impressive iteration of the world’s fastest car, think again. The exotic automaker is reportedly planning one more final edition model, a convertible.

The newest drop-top Veyron will combine the best of the Grand Sport convertible with the more powerful 1,200 hp Super Sport’s W16 engine – Grand Super Sport anyone? While it’s unlikely the car will be able to achieve the same 268 mph world record top speed of the coupe, it’s almost certain to be the world’s fastest convertible.

According to some reports, Bugatti has already taken orders for the car, which is expected to be officially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in early March.

GALLERY: Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

[Source: MotorAuthority]

There was always something funny about the Bugatti Veyron that crashed into a Texas lagoon, conveniently captured on video and shared on the Internet for the world to see.

The driver, Andy House, claimed he had to swerve to avoid a pelican on the road while trying to pick up his cell phone that dropped. To make it even more suspicious, the exotic was left idling in the water for 15 minutes until it died – ensuring that it would be a totaled vehicle by the time any authorities got  to it.

And House’s explanation for not turning off the engine? He claimed he was being bitten by mosquitoes and didn’t want to return to the car to turn off the engine. While we live in a country where everyone is innocent until proven guilty, the details laid out in House’s scenario seems to really go against him. His insurance company paid out $2 million for the car, even though House only secured a $1 million interest-free loan for the vehicle.

There are also claims going around that House tried to pay a confidential informant to steal the Bugatti and set it on fire in order to claim the insurance on it, essentially doubling the initial investment from the loaner. The insurance company is now firing back, claiming fraud. A federal judge has declared that the claim must go before a jury. They’re also stating that House violated the terms of the policy, claiming that he put over 1,200 miles on the vehicle in the three weeks he owned it.

We don’t know about you, but we’re pretty sure that mosquitoes would be the last of our worries if we were trying to save our million dollar (and change) investment. Besides, no one ever saw a pelican of any sort in any of the videos. Good luck with this one Mr. House.

Check out the video of the Veyron nose-diving into the lake after the break, if you haven’t done so already.

[Source: Autoblog]

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Bugatti debuted a trio of special edition Veyron Grand Sports for the Middle East at the Dubai International Motor Show, each sporting a unique two-tone color scheme with a matching or contrasting interior theme. Each sport a horizontal color split aimed to “honor the very important Middle East market”.

The first of the three sport a yellow top body and a black carbon underside, contrasted by black tinted wheels. On the inside it packs a flamboyant yellow leather interior with black stitching. The scheme can also be seen on the dashboard, steering wheel and gearshift. Price? A mere $2.15 million.

The second Veyron Grand Sport Middle East Edition features a blue carbon top with a polished anodized aluminum bottom. This special edition Grand Sport is further set off by a set of aluminum polished Diamond Cut wheels with a two-tone finish. For the inside, the interior features a contrasting tangerine leather while the door panels, dashboard, steering wheel and console are finished in a dark blue Indigo leather or carbon fiber. That one’s available for just $2.36 million or so.

Lastly, at the same price of $2.36 million or so, one can get a green carbon fiber with polished aluminum Veyron Grand Sport. The rims, rearview mirrors and logos are also finished in polished aluminum. On the inside, green and silver leather matches the exterior two-tone theme.

GALLERY: Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Middle East Editions

[Source: Carbuzz]

Volkswagen is experiencing unprecedented levels of success as for the first time in the German automaker’s history, 6.11 million vehicles have been sold in the first nine months of the year. If sales momentum continues, Volkswagen will easily surpass its annual target of 8 million vehicles sold for 2011.

Volkswagen Group Board member for Sales Christian Klinger takes an optimistic, yet more conservative stand, “We are also expecting very good delivery figures for the fourth quarter. We continue to keep a close eye on developments in global automobile markets, some of which are highly volatile.”

Areas of significant sales increases are 21.4 percent increase to 485,400 units in North America, 17.3 percent increase to 1.92 million units in Asia, 10.8 percent increase to 2.77 million units in Europe, and 9.5 percent increase to 700,900 units in South America.

Sales are broken down to 266,800 Seat vehicles, 664,800 Skoda vehicles, 973,200 Audi vehicles, 3.81 million Volkswagen vehicles and 389,900 VW Commercial vehicles.

With news of a redesign coming from the mouth of CEO Wolfgang Durheimer himself, it’s only natural that the Bugatti Galibier sedan would be delayed.

But the world’s plutocrats will have to wait until 2015 to get themselves into the $1.4 million super sedan, according to a report in Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport magazine.

The delay could mean that Bugatti is left with a hole in their lineup, as the Veyron fades into the sunset without a replacement. Unless Bugatti decides to whip up another special edition to keep the factory humming.

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport]

Volkswagen is set to approve production of the Bugatti Galiber by the end of 2011, but Bugatti head Wolfgang Durheimer himself told Autocar that the concept car will bear little resemblance to what super wealthy customers will eventually be able to buy.

“The design will be different, especially from the B-pillar back, the ingress and regress to the rear seats will be improved, as will the legroom and ergonomics, the car will be a little longer, and the power of the engine will be at least four figures.”

Durheimer called the changes “…a design I can be behind 100%”, but did not comment on any mechanical details. He did say that a significant number of Veyron owners had previewed the car and that the changes came as a result of feedback from them. The Galiber is expected to cost as much as $2 million when it goes on sale in 2013.

[Source: Autocar]

It’s not outrageous enough! That’s apparently the line from Bugatti‘s CEO Wolfgang Durheimer in reference to the Galibier sedan. He says that the 800 horsepower four-door needs more power and even more interior space and luxury appointments in order to make it viable for production.

Considering how outlandish the current concept already is, it begs the question just how much further Bugatti can go with a four-door sedan based on its Veyron hyper car.

We’re likely to find out more in the coming months, since Bugatti management is expected to make a decision on the Galibier’s future later this year. The question is, what can we expect? Six turbos? Interior crystal chandeliers? For an elite few, the possibilities are endless.

[Source: Inside Line]

Because owning the world’s fastest car just isn’t enough for some people, Bugatti has crafted the Grand Sport L’Or Blanc.

The supercar’s body isn’t just unique because of its looks, but because of what it’s made from, with porcelain used for the body and throughout the passenger compartment.

Built in collaboration with Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur, it’s said to reflect Bugatti’s desire to not only be unique, but to explore new the use of new materials in vehicle design and creation. Plus, we hear it makes a mean Earl Grey.

Is it the world’s most expensive car? Perhaps. With a price tag f $2.4 million it’s certainly worth more than Gram’s tea pot.

GALLERY: Bugatti Veyron L’Or Blanc

Photo Credit: Frank Filipponio