VW To Sell Bugatti ?

[Novalee]

https://www.motortrend.com/news/bugatti-rimac-sale-rumor/

If this does happen , will the Bugatti switch to a ev hypercar ?

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

I feel like what's actually happening is that Porsche is "buying" a big stake in Rimac and Rimac is being "paid" with Bugatti. Whatever the case Rimac is a big deal.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

Yes, it's basically musical chairs, German automobile edition.

VW owns Porsche, Porsche buys a big stake in Rimac, Rimac owns Bugatti.
Overall VAG gains Rimac and everything else business as usual.

It's crazy to think Mate went from an electric swapped E30 to owning one of the biggest and oldest hypercar brands in the world.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

It was rumored weeks ago, but it has officially happened.

Rimac now owns 55% of Bugatti with Porsche owning the other 45%. Rimac Automobili will be renamed Rimac Group. In addition, VW will continue to have a 24% stake in Rimac. Mate Rimac, founder, has 37% and Hyundai has 12% in the group. Rimac Technology, a new brand, will continue to develop EV drivetrains and autonomous systems. They are currently working with 10 carmakers including Ferrari, Mercedes, and Aston Martin.

Sources close to the deal say that talks began two years ago when the Volkswagen Group approached Rimac to help it develop a hybrid version of the Bugatti Chiron. Rimac offered to create an entirely new hybrid hypercar with a naturally aspirated engine for less than it would have cost to update the existing car. Instead of buying the bulk of the new car's engineering from Rimac, Volkswagen offered the startup a merger. The sources said VW had been considering shuttering Bugatti rather than commit the investment required to make it fully electric in time.

Bugatti Merges with Croatian EV Hypercar Startup Rimac, Becoming Bugatti-Rimac

Rimac's 33-year-old founder takes control of the new company as CEO, with all-new hybrid and EV Bugatti models due by 2030.

www.caranddriver.com

 

[Keef]

So basically this is Rimac-Porsche and the Bugatti name is just used for brand recognition. Rimac and Porsche will be the ones making the decisions about how to proceed with Bugatti. And somewhere down the line Hyundai will scoop up a bunch of cool technology and batteries.

 

[andrea]

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

This appears to be a masterful bit of negotiation on the part of Mate, I'm really surprised VAG agreed to add Rimac to the Bugatti brand name.....either that or VW is really keen to shed responsibility to the Bugatti brand. I'm excited to see this naturally aspirated hybrid car mentioned in the article - I hope the implication is that hybrids still have a place in this world going forward.

 

[McLaren]

Rimac owns 55% and Porsche owns 45%, but VW have a 24% stake in Rimac. Sounds like VAG may still hold a lot of say-so through Porsche.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

I don't think people realize how big Rimac is in the EV world. They develop a lot of parts for a lot of manufactures. They're probably the biggest, most important EV OEM at the moment

From the article

But [Porsche CEO Oliver Blume] was clear that Porsche doesn't want and won't have operational control, with Mate Rimac becoming CEO of all three companies. "As a shareholder we want a real entrepreneur as CEO," he said. "It is our clear strategy to pass operational control to Mate."

Unless this is just PR lies, I doubt Porsche/VAG will do much in terms of controlling what goes on over in Rimac or Bugatti.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Rimac owns 55% and Porsche owns 45%, but VW have a 24% stake in Rimac. Sounds like VAG may still hold a lot of say-so through Porsche.

You know, a lotta ins, a lotta outs, a lotta what-have-yous. And, uh, a lotta strands to keep in my head, man.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

I don't think people realize how big Rimac is in the EV world. They develop a lot of parts for a lot of manufactures. They're probably the biggest, most important EV OEM at the moment

View attachment 1065663


From the article

Unless this is just PR lies, I doubt Porsche/VAG will do much in terms of controlling what goes on over in Rimac or Bugatti.

Yeah , plus Rimac owns a majority of Bugatti.

 

[kikie]

This is probably a stupid n00b question but how did Rimac get so big and important?

 

[McLaren]

This is probably a stupid n00b question but how did Rimac get so big and important?

Rimac started with an old BMW he fit an electric powertrain into, one I believe he & his team designed and built if I'm not mistaken. The car gained a lot of attention, broke FIA records, & brought in investors leading to Rimac to build other 3 series conversions. The success drove Rimac to develop Concept One a couple years later & that car also gained a ton of attention for its capabilities, including the fact the car is almost entirely in-house, tmu.

I believe they've gotten so big b/c Mate Rimac brought out an EV system that's changed the game all on his own. He seems to have built everything from his own hands & ideas with his team and attracted the attention of other manufacturers who now rely on him to build components for them. Porsche's investment in them is likely what propelled them into the next stage in the market and the investment has clearly paid off.

 

[daan]

This is probably a stupid n00b question but how did Rimac get so big and important?

Maybe this'll help.

(small language warning I believe.)

 

[ProjectWHaT]

The Drive also did a short video series on Mate Rimac back in 2018

 

[ProjectWHaT]

Bugatti Rimac teases 4 cars, first of which could arrive in 2022

Bugatti Rimac is working on multiple models, and not all of them will be electric.

www.motorauthority.com

Four new Bugatti Rimac cars were teased

To the right are four shrouded cars that Rimac describes as Bugatti Rimac collaborations due in the coming years. One appears to match the silhouette of the Bugatti Type 35, suggesting there might be a continuation model planned, possibly with electric power. There also appears to be a track model of some sort, as evidenced by the Le Mans prototype-style rear wing on one of the cars. It's possible that this model is the production Bolide track car, which Bugatti has promised for 2024.

A third model appears to be a new Bugatti hypercar, as evidenced by a signature horseshoe-shaped grille at the front. It's possible this is Bugatti Rimac's planned successor for the Chiron which is due to end production around 2024. There's also a fourth model, though the video changes to a new scene before the full silhouette can be revealed. Interestingly, none of the cars appears to be a crossover, suggesting that Bugatti Rimac will stick to sports cars.