From Test Driver To Bugatti President: Christophe Piochon Bids Farewell After 24 Extraordinary Years

Christophe Piochon, one of the key figures behind modern, Volkswagen-owned Bugatti, will formally end his remarkable 24-year career with the legendary French marque on October 31, 2026, closing a chapter that spans the Veyron, Chiron and Tourbillon eras.

Piochon joined Bugatti in late 2001 at Volkswagen’s prototype facility, where he worked as Project Quality Manager and participated in the assembly of the first Veyron prototypes that would later become the ultimate hypercars.

His early role involved helping establish quality standards for an entirely new generation of hypercars, which he experienced first-hand across 100,000 km behind the wheel of a Bugatti, including 60,000 km as a test driver.

Almost 1,200 Bugatti cars later—across the Veyron, Chiron and their variants—the French hypercar manufacturer said these standards have proved their worth and continue to influence every Bugatti created in Molsheim today.

“We had to define what Bugatti quality meant for a completely new kind of automobile…. What makes me proud today is that this philosophy is still embedded in every car we build, and it will continue into the Tourbillon era,” Piochon, who retires as President of Bugatti Automobiles, recalled.

“I took part in the launch of the Veyron, but I also followed the debuts of the Chiron and all the one-offs and derivatives we produced,” Piochon said, while also noting only around 40 cars left the Atelier without him personally seeing, approving or testing them.

Piochon’s career coincided with some of Bugatti’s most important milestones, including the inauguration of the Molsheim Atelier in 2005, the unveiling of the Chiron in Geneva in 2016 and the world premiere of the Tourbillon in Molsheim in 2024.

He also played a major role in the development of Bugatti’s historic home. When he returned to Molsheim in 2013 as Managing Director for Production and Logistics and Site Director, around 70 people worked there. Today, however, the workforce approaches 200 people.

Following the creation of Bugatti Rimac in 2021, Piochon became President of Bugatti Automobiles and Chief Operating Officer of Bugatti Rimac, helping prepare the company and its Molsheim team for the next generation of hypercars.

“The cars are extraordinary, but what I will remember most are the people behind them,” Piochon said, reflecting on his 24-year journey.

Piochon will formally conclude his career with Bugatti at the end of the month, leaving behind a legacy closely connected to the Veyron, Chiron, W16 era and the arrival of the Tourbillon.

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