Some reports have stated, that VW Group is looking to sell their hypercar brand Bugatti to EV technology experts based in Croatia, in excange for a large share of their own company. Porsche, which is also owned by VW Group, already owns 15.5% of croatian Rimac Automobili so the deal would probably go through them.
Report from Car Magazine also suggests that VW executives have already approved the deal, but their head of communication Tim Bravo decided to not comment the whole situation. While this news really does come as a surprise, we can understand why it would make sense for both parties – but especially for the VW Group. The German carmaker is on a path of transformation, focusing on electrification, digitalisation and self-driving tech. Gasoline-powered hypercars don’t really fit in any of those three categories.
It’s also possible that this deal might happen without any money being exchanged. VW could be looking to own as much as 49% of Rimac, while the latter would receive the Bugatti brand and with it the infrastructure it needs in order to boost production of its EV hypercars. Porsche first invested Rimac back in 2018 by purchasing a quite sizable 10% share of the company, which they further increased to 15.5% last year. According to Rimac founder Mate Rimac, there are 15 companies that are currently using its tech know-how, and by his account, they’re the best in the world at it.
Earlier this year, Mate Rimac said to Car Magazine: “Our powertrain systems are the highest power density, and the highest energy density. If you need to have as much power in as little space as possible, you come to us.” Who could argue with that? It is just amazing that a company that young is disrupting the entire automotive industry by being the best at the technology of the future.
