Mate Rimac, CEO of the new company, said Bugatti and Rimac were “a perfect match for each. This really is an exciting moment. Rimac Automobili has grown very quickly and the joint venture takes the company to a completely new level.”
Porsche, along with other car companies, already owns a stake in the Rimac Group which will also now contain another new company, Rimac Technology, the part of the group that will operate as a provider of battery systems, drivetrains and other EV components to outside companies.
What will a Bugatti-Rimac car be like? Quoted in the FT, Mate Rimac likened a Bugatti to a Swiss watch and a Rimac to an Apple Watch, saying: “We can have two parallel, very distinct product lines.” Whether all-electric or, as likely in the near-term, a petrol-electric hybrid, massive performance is sure to be central.
In the world’s fastest car stakes, any new Bugatti will have to go some to beat the latest electric Rimac Nevera: it has 1,914PS (1,408kW) and can accelerate from 0-186mph in 9.3 seconds, with a top speed of 256mph.
The development of future Rimac and Bugatti hypercars models will be carried out at the Rimac Campus, due to open in Croatia in 2023. Mate Rimac said: “I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am by the potential of these two incredible brands combining knowledge, technologies and values to create some truly special projects in the future.”