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Rimac to acquire Bugatti marque from Volkswagen Group – report

In a shock move, Volkswagen looks to jettison the jewel in its crown of prestigious high-performance brands.


The Volkswagen Group could be set to offload the Bugatti marque to Rimac, according to reports out of Europe.

As reported by Car Magazinethe prestigious French performance brand – which Volkswagen purchased in 1998 – will be acquired by the Croatian electric sports car specialist.

In return, it's believed Rimac will give Volkswagen unrestricted access to its all-electric platform.

The transfer, which has not yet been officially confirmed by either party, is complicated by the fact that Rimac is already partially owned by Volkswagen-subsidiary Porsche (which owns 15.5 per cent).

Hyundai, Kia, Koenigsegg, and Jaguar have also bought into the tech firm, which was recently valued at around €550 million (approximately AU$885 million).

It is understood the Volkswagen Group is looking to let go of several other so-called “hobby brands" to better fund its mainstream developments.

These could include Lamborghini, Bentley and Ducati.

Meanwhile, Rimac needs production facilities – like those owned by Bugatti – to build its upcoming C Two hypercar.


Above: the all-electric Rimac C Two hypercar.

The company claims the C Two produces 1408kW and 2300Nm, allowing it to accelerate from zero to 100km/h in under two seconds and making quicker than any existing Bugatti model.

It has a top speed of 412km/h and a battery range of 647km.

Customer deliveries were initially scheduled for late 2020, however have been pushed back to next year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier this year 2016 Formula One World Champion Nico Rosberg revealed that he had placed an order on the car.

CarAdvice has reached out to Bugatti and Rimac to verify the reports. This story will be updated if further information becomes available.


William Davis

William Davis has written for Drive since July 2020, covering news and current affairs in the automotive industry. He has maintained a primary focus on industry trends, autonomous technology, electric vehicle regulations, and local environmental policy. As the newest addition to the Drive team, William was brought onboard for his attention to detail, writing skills, and strong work ethic. Despite writing for a diverse range of outlets – including the Australian Financial Review, Robb Report, and Property Observer – since completing his media degree at Macquarie University, William has always had a passion for cars.

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