Bugatti Rimac: Marking The Beginning Of A New Chapter And Future In Automotive History

Repositioning itself for the future and only four months after the initial announcement, the ‘Bugatti Rimac’ joint company project gets underway.

Ensuing this, Bugatti, Rimac and Porsche mark the beginning of a new chapter and a new future in automotive history. 

Notably, as shareholders, the Rimac Group holds 55 percent of the shares, while Porsche holds 45 percent. 

First and foremost, Mate Rimac, founder and chief executive officer of Rimac Automobili, is now CEO of Bugatti Rimac, headquartered in Sveta Nedelja. 

Rimac commented, “I feel very honoured to lead this new joint company as CEO and, no doubt, start a successful, revolutionary and exciting new chapter for everyone involved. I am very excited to see what impact Bugatti Rimac will have on the industry and how we will develop innovative new hyper sports cars and technologies. It’s hard to find a better combination for new and exciting projects.” 

As for Porsche AG, they become a strategic shareholder, making Oliver Blume, chairman of Porsche AG, and Lutz Meschke, deputy chairman and CFO, members of the supervisory board.

Blume said, “This joint company is the perfect solution for all parties involved. We have positioned the charismatic traditional Bugatti brand for the future in a way that allows it to continue creating value. Bugatti embodies fascination and passion, while Rimac stands for innovative power and technical competence. Together, they form a powerful automotive company.” 

On the other hand, Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti since January 1, 2018, will focus exclusively on his work as chairman and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini from November 1, 2021. 

Winkelmann commented, “I would like to thank the entire Bugatti team and our customers for three and a half unbelievable, exciting, intense and successful years. Together, we have developed fantastic hyper sports cars and led Bugatti into a new dimension.”

Interestingly, Winkelmann has been holding a dual position as president of both companies since December 1, 2020. 

Under his leadership, Bugatti has redefined modern-day coachbuilding with the Divo, La Voiture Noire and Centodieci models. At the same time, the team expanded the Chiron family. 

Although technically very different, the Chiron Pur Sport and Chiron Super Sport hyper sports cars offer the maximum spread of the ‘Bugatti spectrum of performance’. 

Significantly, the Chiron Super Sport 300+ became the first production car ever to break the 300 mph (483 km/h) barrier in the summer of 2019. 

Having achieved a speed of 304.773 mph (490.484 km/h), the Chiron Super Sport 300+ is since considered the fastest production car in the world. 

Whereas for the Bolide, Bugatti developed the most uncompromising vehicle in its history at the end of 2020, which will be produced in a small series in 2024.

That’s not all, over the past three years, the French manufacturer also increased its operating results, where last year marked the most successful year in Bugatti’s history. 

This is concrete as out of the 500 vehicles planned in the Chiron family, more than 460 have been delivered or scheduled for production at the Molsheim Atelier. 

“Leaving the company is difficult for me, but I am sure that Bugatti will continue to develop and build extraordinary hyper sports cars in years to come. I would like to wish my successor and this outstanding team the best of success for the future,” Winkelmann added.

Besides that, Christophe Piochon, previously managing director of production and logistics at Bugatti, becomes the new president of the Bugatti brand keeping its headquarters in Molsheim, France. 

He will join Mate Rimac at the management team of the Bugatti Rimac joint company as chief operating officer. 

“I look forward to my new role very much. It shows that we keep our independence and will continue to make the best and most high-quality vehicles in the world at the Molsheim Atelier,” remarked Piochon.

Next, Hendrik Malinowski, formerly head of sales and operation at Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S., has been appointed to Bugatti’s management board as the managing director of sales and marketing.

After that, Larissa Fleischer was chosen as the new chief financial officer for Bugatti Rimac and Emilio Scervo as the new chief technology officer.

All Bugatti models will continue to be made by hand at the Molsheim Atelier, therefore, the jobs located there remain secure for the long term. 

The Bugatti Rimac joint company will start with 435 employees, of whom 300 will work in Zagreb and 135 in Molsheim, France. 

Plus, adding to that count, there will be another 180 employees transferred from the Wolfsburg development site. 

Equally important, Bugatti and Rimac will continue to act as independent brands and retain their production sites in Zagreb and Molsheim, as well as their respective sales channels. 

Bugatti’s new president, Christophe Piochon, concluded, “For more than 110 years, Bugatti has been making the most exclusive and high-quality cars in the world. This goal has not changed and will not change in the future.”