Rimac and Bugatti. Both names are synonymous with automotive power and speed.
And now, Rimac and Bugatti’s partnership is heralding a new automotive age.
As Rimac and Bugatti’s partnership becomes a reality, Rimac founder and CEO Mate Rimac recently told the media that, among other things, he plans to bring costs under control at Bugatti as the French company adopts electrification to remain relevant within the fast-changing auto industry.
“On a car-by-car basis, Bugatti is very successful,” he told one publication. “People would be surprised how profitable each (Chiron) is; I certainly was.”
Rimac noted, however, that Bugatti has spent too much in developing newer models, in part because it outsourced a lot of work needed to make each car.
“It cost them more to create the Bugatti Chiron from the Bugatti Veyron, which has the same W16 engine and eight-speed gearbox, than we spent developing our Rimac Nevera from scratch,” Rimac said in an interview.
Rimac had earlier revealed that Bugatti models will continue to be sold with combustion engines for “some time” but that the next production model’s powertrain will be “heavily electrified.”
A mysterious new model has been in the works for the past 1.5 years and is expected to be the successor to the famous Chiron.
The Volkswagen Group, which now owns parts of Rimac and Bugatti, had to choose between investing billions into EVs or shutting down the French carmaker after a century in business.
Then the idea of a Rimac and Bugatti Partnership was put on the table.
“I see this new arrangement as a win-win-win-win,” Mate Rimac says. “It’s a win for us, having a wonderful brand with a 113-year tradition. It’s a win for Volkswagen because Bugatti has a great future, they have a shareholding and we will keep costs under control. It’s a win for the employees because we will expand. And it’s a win for customers because we have exciting new products coming. We won’t just hump along; we will flourish.”
This ambitious joint venture fuses Bugatti’s rich history and Rimac’s cutting-edge EV technology.
But it seems that this merger is not the only significant event in Rimac’s history.
Check out: Porsche Has Invested $83 Million in Rimac. What is the Croatian Hypercar Company Doing Now?
The Bugatti and Rimac partnership is a big step forward in the future of hypercars.
The ‘Bugatti-Rimac LLC’ will blend Rimac’s innovative expertise in building high-output electric drivetrains and Bugatti’s extensive heritage and stronghold in the hypercar market are combined in this new joint venture.
In the Bugatti-Rimac venture, a 45 percent stake is owned by Porsche, and Rimac Automobili owns 55 percent.
Bugatti has an enviable reputation for building superior performance supercars.
Bugatti will now have top-notch assistance in building highly advanced electric drivetrains and other high-tech systems to replace its famous W16 engine.
And, conversely, Rimac will benefit from Bugatti’s heritage and vast experience in making hypercars that are known the world over.
Bugatti will continue producing its flagship vehicle Chiron.
Meanwhile, Rimac will be focusing on its new record-setting electric hypercar, the Nevera.
Learn more about it: What’s the Deal with the Rimac Nevera? Everything You Need to Know About this Mysterious Electric Hypercar.
Bugatti has been manufacturing high-speed automobiles for about 100 years. Located in the Alsace region of France, they are known for incredible craftsmanship and speed. One Bugatti, La Voiture Noire, sold at auction for $18.7 million. It carried an 8.0-liter W16 engine and produced 1479 horsepower and 1180 lb-ft of torque. It could travel from zero to 60 mph in just 2.4 seconds and had a top speed of 260 mph.
Each component of the car was tested to the point of destruction to ensure years of precise operation.
Chiron, successor of the famous Veyron, is powered by an 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W16 engine.
It can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in just 2.5 seconds.
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