Hypercar makers Bugatti and Rimac join forces in Croatia

ZAGREB: The manufacturer of the world's fastest petrol-burning road cars Bugatti and former Croatian electric car start-up Rimac are now working together to create "a new automotive and technical powerhouse", according to a Tuesday announcement from Porsche.

Volkswagen relinquished direct control of Bugatti earlier this year, with Porsche (55 per cent) and Rimac (45 per cent) now controlling stakes in the new company.

Rimac-founder Mate Rimac is in charge of Croatian operations in Sveta Nedelja near here and the company says it has finished recruiting 435 staff members for an expanded plant due to be completed in 2023.

Porsche wants to help Bugatti position itself better for a future that is certain to include a raft of electrification technologies.


"Rimac and Bugatti are a perfect match in terms of what we each bring to the table," said Rimac.

"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 Executive Board chairman Oliver Blume.

Bugatti's Chiron will be marketed alongside Rimac's Nevera electric supercar which is the fastest-accelating EV on the market. Chiron production will continue in Molsheim, France.

The Nevera can bolt from 0 to 100kph in an incredible 1.85 seconds, which would make the Croatian car even faster than the Tesla Model S Plaid which is said to manage the dash in under 2 seconds.