Porsche buys stake in Croatia’s super carmaker Rimac
Porsche is taking a stake in Rimac Automobilii, Croatia’s supercar powerhouse as they buy a 10% minority share. The Germans hope for a development partnership as they are gearing up for the coming of the Mission E that will be sold as Taycan.
Porsche had been particularly impressed with Rimac’s Concept_One electric vehicle that was followed by the debut of the C Two this year in Geneva. “By developing the purely electric two-seaters super sports cars, as well as core vehicle systems, Rimac has impressively demonstrated its credentials in the field of electromobility,” says Lutz Meschke, Member of the Executive Board for Finance and IT at Porsche.
In return, the partnership with Porsche is a step in the right direction for Rimac as they seek to position themselves as “a component and system supplier of choice for the industry in electrification, connectivity and the exciting field of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems,” explains Rimac’s CEO Mate Rimac.
The Zagreb-based company employs around 400 employees. Rimac’s main focus is on high-voltage battery technology, electric powertrains and HMI Development. Rimac also develops and produces e-bikes under its subsidiary Greyp Bikes, founded in 2013.
Rimac could also be seen expanding in China where they agreed with the Camel Group to start building electric motors and batteries this year reportedly. The facility in Chinese Xiangyang is to churn out 50,000 units annually with construction to cost about 128m euros. Rimac mainly inputs technology and know-how and says that the rest of its production of electric car components will remain in Croatia.
In Germany, Porsche is currently refitting their site to start producing their first electric car, the Taycan. It is due to launch in 2019 and marks the beginning of a six billion euro campaign for electrification running through 2022. Technologically spill overs are expected to benefit the Group’s Audi and Bentley brands reportedly.
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