Following this morning’s announcement that Bugatti and Rimac will be joining forces, CEO Mate Rimac talked about the joint venture at an event in Croatia.
Saying “no one has done quite as much to redefine performance as Bugatti,” the leader of the newly formed Bugatti-Rimac described the joint venture as “the best hypercar company in the world.”
He went on to reiterate that Rimac and Bugatti will remain separate brands, and say Bugatti will continue to build their vehicles in France. However, he noted Bugatti-Rimac’s headquarters will be in Croatia and that’s where “production of components and technology for both brands” will occur. In particular, he mentioned batteries for Bugatti being made in the country and that’s a not so subtle hint about an electric vehicle.
Also Read: Bugatti And Rimac Officially Joining Forces, Will Jointly Develop Future Models
Porsche’s Deputy Chairman, Lutz Meschke, used the event to say negotiations had been going on for 18 months as it “took a long time to find the right structure for the new company” and get all of the stakeholders onboard. However, he believes everyone will benefit from the joint venture – especially Bugatti customers as the future of the brand has been secured.
Meschke went on to say “new and exciting models will be developed that will make the hearts of Bugatti fans all over the world beat faster.” The company might have hinted at a couple of them as they briefly showed a slide featuring three cars underneath a cover. While one of them looks like a classic Bugatti, the other two are a bit more mysterious – although one could be the Bolide.
For his part, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume said the joint venture will ensure Bugatti has a financially viable business plan in the future and will continue producing vehicles that have a special charisma as well as a high-level of craftsmanship. He added, the automaker is now in a great position for the age of electric mobility and, in the medium term, we will see the joint development of “exciting new Bugatti models.” He hinted at the latter by saying electrified high-performance vehicles are now conceivable.
In other news, Autocar is reporting Bugatti’s lineup will expand to include “products that are not only hypercars.” That isn’t much to go on, but they promise to be “very exciting” and “different.”
Mate Rimac also confirmed plans for EVs as he told the publication, “within this decade, there will be fully electric Bugattis.” He also said Bugatti will continue producing vehicles with internal combustion engines, but they’ll be “very heavily hybridized.”
