Stefan Ellrott takes on a new role at Volkswagen, Gregor Gries appointed acting head of department
Molsheim, 22 January 2021. Divo, Centodieci, Chiron Pur Sport, as well as the development of the world record-breaking Chiron Super Sport 300+2 and the technically extreme Bolide2 concept car: the list of sensational hyper sports cars from Bugatti that have been developed under the direction of Stefan Ellrott as Member of Bugatti’s Executive Board and Head of Technical Development is very long indeed. From February, the outstanding engineer will take on new responsibilities as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for Compact Vehicles at the brand Volkswagen Passenger Cars. Until further notice, Gregor Gries, previously Head of Powertrain Development at Bugatti, will take charge of the Technical Development department at Bugatti.
“Over the past four years, my team and I have pushed the boundaries of what is technically feasible at Bugatti. From a developer’s point of view, each one of the hyper sports cars has its unique challenges,” explains Stefan Ellrott. “With the Divo, we reinterpreted modern coachbuilding. With the Chiron Super Sport 300+, we became the first series manufacturer to exceed the 300-mile-per-hour mark. We gave the Chiron Pur Sport maximum lateral dynamics. And the Bolide is the most extreme Bugatti of modern times with its weight-to-power ratio of 0.67 kg/PS.” With its multitude of technical innovations, the hyper sports car sets new standards in every respect.
“I would like to thank Stefan Ellrott for his tireless commitment, his tenacity during projects, and his flair for finding innovative technical solutions. The tradition-rich brand Bugatti would not be where it is today if Stefan Ellrott and his team had not developed their projects so energetically and ambitiously over the years. With Gregor Gries, an experienced engineer is taking over the tasks,” says Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti.
Gregor Gries
Gregor Gries is a specialist when it comes to hyper sports cars. The engineer has been involved in the development of Bugatti vehicles since 1998, first with the design studies EB 118, EB 218, 18.3 “Chiron” and also with the W18 engine at the time. Since the company was newly founded in 2001, Gries has been responsible for the development of the 8.0-liter W16 engine including components and control system, gearbox, and drivetrain. Gregor Gries has been Head of Powertrain Development at Bugatti since 2004.
“Accompanying Bugatti right from the start and having been able to make an important contribution to every model, starting with the Veyron, is a great honor and has also become something that is very close to my heart. The original assignment of more than 20 years ago, namely to “build a car with 1,000 PS that accelerates from zero to 100 in under three seconds, has a top speed of more than 400 km/h and which is suitable for a night out at the opera”, is now firmly established as a development goal and has been perfected further with every model. I am looking forward to working in the new area and would like to thank the company President for his expression of trust in my work so far,” says Gregor Gries.
Stefan Ellrott
Stefan Ellrott started his professional career at Volkswagen AG in 1996 and occupied various positions there. The qualified engineer joined Bugatti in October 2016 and was appointed Director of Technical Development on 1 January 2017. “Working for Bugatti has been a dream come true for me. Bugatti stands for technological superlatives and is therefore a particularly special automotive brand for an engineer. Being part of the Bugatti family and working with a passionate team on highly emotive products has been and continues to be a defining experience that I will never forget,” says Stefan Ellrott. “However, I am looking forward to the new and completely different challenges that await me at Volkswagen, and I would like to thank them for the confidence they have placed in me as the future CTO for Compact Vehicles. I will always be a Bugatti enthusiast at heart.”
Divo* 1 WLTP: Fuel consumption, l/100km: low 43.33 / medium 22.15 / high 17.99 / particularly high 18.28 / combined 22.32; combined CO2 emissions, g/km: 506; efficiency class: G
Centodieci* 2 Fuel consumption, l/100km: not subject to Directive 1999/94/EC as overall type approval is currently not yet available.
Chiron Pur Sport* 3 WLTP: Fuel consumption, l/100km: low 44.6 / medium 24.8 / high 21.3 / particularly high 21.6 / combined 25.2; combined CO2 emissions, g/km: 572; efficiency class: G