The French luxury brand and the Croatian upstart combine
Rimac will be primary shareholder, Porsche 45 percent
Rimac and Bugatti have announced that the two companies are joining. They’ll combine their expertise in building hypercars of the gas end electric varieties, with Porsche owning nearly half of the new automaker.
The new automaker will be called Bugatti Rimac and will be headquartered in Rimac’s current home, Croatia. Rimac Group will own 55 percent of the company with Mate Rimac as the CEO.
It will be a complicated arrangement. Bugatti will continue to build and design its own vehicles at its plant in Molsheim, France, while Rimac will do its work in Zagreb. They will operate independently. The press release from the company says that the Bugatti Rimac, the new entity, “represents the company that will develop the future of both Bugatti and Rimac vehicles.” They will combine resources, expertise in R&D, and production areas.
Rimac Group will spawn a new entity called Rimac Technology, 100 percent owned by Rimac, which will work with other global automakers to develop EV tech for those companies.
“We are combining Bugatti’s strong expertise in the hypercar business with Rimac’s tremendous innovative strength in the highly promising field of electromobility,” said Porsche Chair Oliver Blume. “Bugatti is contributing a tradition-rich brand, iconic products, a loyal customer base and a global dealer network to the joint venture. In addition to technology, Rimac is contributing new development and organisational approaches.”
