2006 Bugatti Veyron 1001 Horsepower 8.0l Quad-turbo W16 Alcantara 253mph Black on 2040-cars

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Volkswagen Group previews its wares on eve of Geneva show

The Volkswagen Group is comprised of 11 brands producing 240 vehicles across 49 factories throughout the world. So the best way to show off the range of the VW family is to cram a few thousand journalists and VIPs into a massive makeshift stand to outline the Group's goals, what's in the pipeline and what you'll be able to buy later this year.
To that end, VW pulled out all the stops on the eve of the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, bringing along 10 vehicles from across the range. We'll be delving into the details of each over the next two days of show coverage, but before that happens, you can read all about what we saw tonight from the cheap seats after the break.

Bugatti Galibier to be "faster than anything on the market"

Before Wolfgang Dürheimer moves to Audi, he's still got a few jobs to finish as head of Bentley and Bugatti, one of them being to oversee the development of the 16C Galibier. It was back in 2009 that the two-tone concept had audiences agog, and rumors and leaks since then have had everyone wondering if the four-seat fastback will ever become reality. To hit 'rewind' on the rumormill, the Galibier was initially greenlit in early 2011 and tipped to go into production this year, a timeframe that was later revised to next year. The model was earmarked to have less than 1,000 horsepower and optional hybrid power, and at the same time, the design was meant to be finalized, but it was instead reportedly scrapped for not being outrageous enough. The Galibier then went back to the design bureau and the horsepower was subsequently announced as surpassing the four-digit mark.
Production is now planned for somewhere around 2015, and according to Dürheimer's chat with Car and Driver, the Galibier on the way will be original and blindingly fast. The executive would only commit to the "over 1,000 hp" line, but C/D believes the ouput will be around 1,400 non-hybridized ponies. Whatever the final number is, it is said to get the Galibier beyond 235 mph and, Durheimer said, be "faster than anything on the market" - and that includes wares from the aftermarket sector. Dürheimer also says the Galibier will have technologies that are automotive firsts.
What remains to be decided is the candy coating that will envelop all that sweetness, since "the final design still is in flux." We'd heard before that the hatchback's entire rear end is being redesigned, but it appears that if nothing else, the eight tailpipes will remain.

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport in Fuji Speedway time attack

From the same guys who brought us video of a street-legal Porsche 962C driving through the streets of Japan comes this latest video showing Le Mans-winning pro driver, Seiji Ara, lapping Fuji Speedway in a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport. Most of the video centers around Ara's impressions, but there is plenty of great video showing the supercar carving up the track's numerous turns and blasting along its lengthy front straightaway.
Ara says this is the most powerful car he's ever driven, so we imagine it was as much for fun for him to drive as it is for us to watch. During the drive, the camera provides a sense of what it's like to pilot the Veyron on such a challenging track, and you can hear its turbos and wastegates getting a workout. Scroll down to watch this well-shot, well-edited video of Ara and the Veyron lapping Fuji Speedway. Oh, and be sure to stick around for the end, as there's a bonus three-way drag race you won't want to miss.