Volkswagen is reportedly considering selling Bugatti to Rimac in a deal to own a bigger stake in the Croatian electric hypercar maker.
Rimac, once only a small startup building a million-dollar electric hypercar, is equally emerging as an important player in electrification of the supercar industry.
The company is best known for its all-electric hypercars, especially the Concept_One, arguably the first all-electric hypercar, and more recently the new Concept_Two (C_Two).
In recent years, the company is also emerging as a supplier for electric vehicle components. They’ve already got a thriving business supplying some OEMs, like Koenigsegg and Aston Martin.
Last summer, Porsche announced that it was investing in Rimac for a minority stake in the company.
Since then, the automaker is working the iconic German brand to help electrify its lineup.
In an interesting turn of event, we now learn that Volkswagen, who owns Porsche, is considering selling Bugatti to Rimac in a deal that would further intertwine the two companies.
The UK’s Car Magazine reports:
VW Group is on the verge of offloading Bugatti to Croatian electromobility powerhouse Rimac Automobili. Bugatti — the luxury brand best known for today’s 16-cylinder hypercars and its pre-WWII automotive masterpieces — will likely be transferred to Rimac via Porsche, in exchange for a bigger share in Europe’s answer to Tesla. Sources say VW executives approved the deal last week, but it has yet to be signed off by the supervisory board.
Representatives from all the companies involved refused to comment.
Bugatti has an interesting past. It originated in Alsace at a time it was under German control, but it is now technically a French automaker.
The name originated from its founder, Italian-born industrial designer Ettore Bugatti.
The automaker is responsible for some iconic vehicles and beautiful luxurious design.
Volkswagen acquired the brand under Ferdinand Piech in 1998 as a pet project for the CEO.
Electrek’s Take
That’s an interesting deal.
There’s no doubt that the supercar industry is going electric, and therefore, it would make sense for Rimac to take control of Bugatti and electrify its lineup.
They could use the company’s design and hand-making car manufacturing expertise to further their vehicle program. In return, Volkswagen would stop seeing money into the brand and it would get a bigger share of Rimac through Porsche.
In my view, the only downside is that Rimac will be less independent, but at the same time, if they can get more money, so be it.
I think Mate Rimac is a great innovator that is doing a lot to promote electrification.
Subscribe to Electrek on YouTube for exclusive videos and subscribe to the podcast.
Author: Fred Lambert
Source: Electrek
