In times when the automotive industry is working on ways to optimize its robotized production and reduce production costs, there are just a few automakers left doing things by hand. Those brands are among the most exotic and exclusive though, and Bugatti has often been given as an example of true engineering craftsmanship. The French automaker, in turn, very much enjoys bragging about the complex methods it uses when building the Chiron and its derivatives, and in a new press release, it details the painting process it uses.
Starting with the big number from the headline – yes, it actually takes around 600 hours for each car assembled at Bugatti’s Molsheim factory to be painted and the entire paintwork is applied by hand. Putting that number into perspective, Bugatti says for the same amount of time a traditional luxury car manufacturer, not a mainstream one, would build four or five cars from beginning to end. Each component on a new Bugatti car is painted individually and not installed on the car itself so that every surface can receive the best possible finish. This is something mass-production automakers don't usually do.
