New Tie-Up Behind Bugatti Chiron, Rimac Nevera Supercars

In a newly formed joint venture, Bugatti-Rimac will build two supercars – the Bugatti Chiron and the fully electric Rimac Nevera.

The high-end performance cars to be produced between the tie-up with Porsche and Croatian electric automaker Rimac and Volkswagen’s Bugatti brand were announced on Monday. The new partnership is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2021.

The sports cars from the automakers will include the Bugatti Chiron, which was first introduced by Bugatti in March 2016. It delivers 1,500 horsepower from an 8L, 16-cylinder quad-turbocharged powertrain.

Bugatti bills the Chiron as the “fastest, most powerful, and exclusive production super sports car” in its history.

“Its sophisticated design, innovative technology, and iconic, performance-oriented form make it a unique masterpiece of art, form, and technique that pushes boundaries beyond imagination,” Bugatti said on its website about the Chiron.

The Rimac Nevera, which debuted at the International Geneva Motor Show in 2018, is powered by a fully electric powertrain rated 1,900 horsepower. The hyper sports car can hit over 250 mph and has a price tag of $2.5 million. The driving range on the car is about 340 miles per charge.

“This is it. This is the car I had in mind when I embarked on the ‘impossible’ journey ten years ago,” Mate Rimac, founder and CEO at Rimac, said in a statement at the launch of the prototype of the Nevera. “ All our hard work has resulted in the Nevera – our record-breaking hypercar. This car was born to outperform, and to raise the bar, redefining the norm for performance cars. And not only in performance – but as an all-around package.

He continued: “We have now unveiled a car that pushes the hypercar market to a higher level, we have utilized the full potential of the electric powertrain today, proving what we’ve always been saying – that electric hypercar, in the form of the Nevera, is beyond exciting, and that is as thrilling on the track, as it is cosseting crossing continents.”

Financial terms of the new Bugatti-Rimac joint venture were not released, but Rimac will hold a 55% stake in the partnership, while Porsche will have a 45% stake in the company. Bugatti’s shares will be transferred to Volkswagen, which owns both Porsche and Bugatti, to Porsche, and then to Rimac, according to the companies, as reported by CNBC.

Mate Rimac, founder and CEO of Rimac, said in a statement, “I have always loved cars and can see at Bugatti where passion for cars can take you to. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am by the potential of these two brands combining knowledge, technologies, and values to create some truly special projects in the future.”