Due to MAvi's old grudge with the EU, every move he makes and every investment strategy he cooks up gets extra scrutiny from them. So, it's no surprise that German Porsche suddenly showed up in France, ready to duke it out with him over Bugatti.
Here's the thing, though: in this parallel world's 1998, Porsche never pulled off that hostile takeover of Volkswagen. That means when the financial crisis hit, Volkswagen didn't get the chance to flip the script and acquire Porsche instead. So, for now, Porsche is still its own entity, keeping its distance from Volkswagen—live and let live, you know?
When MAvi mentioned keeping things hush-hush, Bugatti's CEO Baptiste naturally didn't push for details. "Alright, Mr. MAvi. We've got about 20 minutes left until we reach Bugatti's headquarters," he said casually.
Just a couple of days ago, Baptiste had indeed gotten a call from Porsche about a potential acquisition. But honestly, he'd much rather team up with MAvi. Lamborghini's success was a pretty solid example of what MAvi could do. Still, what started as a straightforward deal between willing parties got a little complicated once the EU stuck its nose in.
When MAvi rolled up to the town of Molsheim in the Bugatti convoy, he noticed several Porsche 911 GTs parked out front of Bugatti's headquarters. Judging by the setup, it looked like they'd been waiting for quite a while.
"Mr. MAvi, just so you know, Porsche reached out to us a couple of days ago about a possible buyout. It wasn't us who initiated it…" Baptiste explained from inside the car, clearly wanting to set the record straight.
"No worries, Baptiste," MAvi replied. He knew the full story and wasn't fazed by Bugatti's talks with Porsche.
Right now, Bugatti's total valuation sits at around $535 million. That includes their wind tunnel lab, environmental testing facilities, engine R&D center—the whole nine yards.
"Thanks for understanding, Mr. MAvi!" Baptiste said, relieved. He'd been worried MAvi might get the wrong idea. Porsche had just barged in out of nowhere; Bugatti hadn't gone looking for them.
As their car doors were opened by staff, MAvi and Baptiste stepped out of the Bugatti and came face-to-face with Christian, Porsche's vice president from Germany. Like a lot of German guys, Christian had a stern look—intense, stubborn eyes that made him seem like a tough nut to crack.
"Hello, CEO Baptiste. I'm Christian from Porsche Germany. So, what do you think of our $685 million offer?" Christian got straight to the point, not wasting a second.
The whole time he was talking, he didn't even glance at MAvi standing right there. It was obvious he was pretending not to know him, trying to throw MAvi off his game.
"I'm still mulling over the offer, Vice President Christian. Could you give us a little more time?" Baptiste replied patiently. If MAvi hadn't already reached out to Bugatti, Porsche's $685 million would've been pretty tempting.
But timing's everything. Nail it, and the company's future could soar. Miss it, and it's game over. Bugatti couldn't afford to roll the dice and lose.
Hearing Baptiste say he still needed to think it over, Christian—the strong-willed Porsche VP—decided waiting around wasn't cutting it. So, he went for it, right in front of both Baptiste and MAvi. "Alright, I'll lay it out straight. Our designers pulled an all-nighter yesterday and sent me something…"
"They took the classic Bugatti EB110 design, mixed in some modern car trends, and came up with the Bugatti EB118 concept. If you're interested, CEO Baptiste, I've had the sketches printed out. Take a look," Christian said, pulling out his ace in the hole.
The Bugatti EB118 concept he was talking about was real—designed by a Porsche designer. But it wasn't whipped up in the last couple of days. A year or two back, a Bugatti-obsessed car designer got a burst of inspiration and created the EB118 concept, hoping Porsche would scoop up Bugatti. In the end, though, economic factors, production feasibility, and profitability concerns shelved it. The blueprints just sat there… until now, when they came in handy.
With a nod from Christian, his team unveiled the pre-printed EB118 concept design for Baptiste to see. And honestly, the EB118 looked sleeker than the EB110—more in tune with modern tastes in a bunch of little details.
Baptiste hadn't expected Porsche to pull this card. But when he saw the revamped EB110 brought to life, a flicker of excitement flashed in his eyes—he couldn't hide it.
"CEO Baptiste, this EB118 concept we've designed at Porsche? We named it that because it'll be the world's first supercar with 18 cylinders!" Christian pressed, striking while the iron was hot.
This Bugatti acquisition wasn't just some political errand for them. It had real business value too—not just a petty jab or a money-losing stunt.
MAvi checked out the EB118 design in front of him. If he remembered right, in his past life, Volkswagen bought Bugatti and rolled out the EB118 concept in 1998. But it was a total flash in the pan—didn't make a splash at all. Even later, with the 2005 Bugatti Veyron 16.4, it was a money pit. Each Veyron sold lost them around $3.5 million! Crazy, right?
That was all because of sky-high R&D and design costs. By the time the Veyron hit production, it was already drowning in debt. When it finally launched at €1 million a pop, they were losing three times that per car. MAvi couldn't help but think, Man, what a way to burn cash!
"Vice President Christian, your company's EB118 design is impressive. But… if you don't mind, we'd still like some time to think it over," Baptiste said, holding firm despite the tempting offer.
MAvi took it all in. Like he'd noted before, he had blueprints in his head for all these European supercar companies' future models. If someone pushed him too far, he could just whip out every single one of their future designs right now…
…
(End of Chapter)