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]

The Volkswagen Group, which consists of Volkswagen, Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Porsche brands in America, are looking to become the number one seller of vehicles in the world by 2018. That’s a bold proclamation as they’re currently sitting in the number three position behind Toyota and General Motors.

As of last year, the VW Group was at 7.14-million vehicles sold while Toyota was at 8.42-million and GM was at 8.39-million. They’re currently aiming to be moving 10-million vehicles a year by 2018 and CEO Martin Winterkorn anticipates it’ll even happen before then.

Their plan will be to target the global market obviously, having already secured the European market. Their new plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee currently has the capacity to produce 150,000 vehicles a year, but VW is working on expanding it to 500,000, the majority of which will remain within the US market.

Even though VW has taken over European automotive sales with 2.9 vehicles sold in 2010, they still look to increase their market share with their new Up! model. But key to VW becoming the global leader in sales will be how they perform in other markets including Brazil, Russia, India and most importantly, China.

[Source: Car and Driver]

10. Porsche 918 Spyder: $845,000

The list of the Top 10 most expensive new cars is even more shocking that you might expect. Released by Forbes, you can forget the Ferrari 458 or the $300,000 Lamborghini Aventador because even at the low end of the scale these models start at right around the one million mark.

In 10th place, at $845,000 is Porsche’s upcoming flagship, the 918 Spyder. When it does arrive later this year, it will come powered by a high-revving V8 engine making more than 500 hp, mated to a plug-in hybrid system that adds over 218 hp. Porsche claims a 0-60 mph time of 3.1 seconds, with an incredible 78 mpg rating.

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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Boy oh boy. We’ve seen some pretty bad project cars in our time, some of which can’t be unseen. This, however, might be the most atrocious yet. The victimized vehicle comes from Bosnia, where its owner decided to transform the Mercedes sedan with some Bugatti styling. Unfortunately it just didn’t work out very well and the result is, well… horrendous.

If you didn’t even look at the front of the vehicle, you’d probably be confused as to what the builder was trying to obtain. But the front-end is clearly Bugatti-influenced, along with the rear doors receiving a widebody treatment with the traditional Bugatti flares. Unfortunately the whole thing is just a mess, and not a hot one at that.

Source: Mercedes Turned Bugatti Galibier

[Source: Jalopnik]

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]

Maserati has long been Ferrari‘s little brother. However, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne believes Maserati is well placed to play a far more important role.

Insisting that Ferrari is not sold to the same market of buyers as Porsche or Bentley, and can only belong to an elite realm shared with Lamborghini and Bugatti, Marchionne has designated Maserati as acting Italian counterpart to Porsche and Bentley instead.

This suddenly gives Maserati a clear brand identity and a focused product plan. As Ferrari chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo would never allow an SUV in Ferrari’s portfolio anyway, it gives Maserati a clear opportunity to fill the niche of a Porsche Cayenne competitor.

Products in the pipeline include two sedans of different sizes replacing the Quattroporte as well as the Kubang SUV. With the GranTurismo completing the family picture, Sergio Marchionne is optimistic that sales numbers may even increase tenfold, from 5,675 units sold last year up to even 60,000 in the near future.

[Source: AutoNews]

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]