A first day in any new job is pretty daunting, never more so when the position is at a new company. But all 435 employees of Bugatti-Rimac have survived November 1st, which marked the first day of what's being described as "one of the world's most exciting cooperation projects". So well done all - it'll be the weekend before you know it.
'Operation Rush', as the merger was apparently known internally, was obviously never going to proceed slowly. Mate Rimac only formed his eponymous company 12 years ago, Porsche got involved in 2018 and the formation of Bugatti-Rimac was announced just four months ago. Both companies make cars capable of 0-62mph in 2.5 seconds (or less) and 250mph (or more) - meaning that speed really does underwrite the new venture.
With 300 employees in Zagreb and 135 in Molsheim, it certainly seems to be the start of what looks like a fascinating collaboration. Mate Rimac said it would be "difficult to find a better match than Rimac and Bugatti". He continued: "Rimac's fast-paced operations and electrification skills are the perfect complement to Bugatti's exceptional heritage and craftmanship. Stay tuned for some truly extraordinary projects in the future." Of course it's the latter component which makes the whole endeavour so exciting - and likely to hit fever pitch when a dramatic new Rimac campus, with space for 2,500 employees, opens in 2023.
For now, with Stephan Winkelmann out of Bugatti and back to purely focusing on Lamborghini, Christophe Piochon is Chief Operating Officer of Bugatti-Rimac, serving alongside Mate Rimac as CEO. Larissa Fleischer is Chief Financial Officer and Emilio Scervo is Chief Technology. Porsche big-wigs Lutz Meschke and Oliver Blume will sit on the Supervisory Board.
Though both brands retain autonomy, with independent production sites and distribution channels, we'll likely see a closer alliance between Bugatti and Rimac over the coming months and years. Obviously each possesses knowledge that will benefit the other in building even better hypercars: Rimac knows about batteries and sophisticated electric powertrains, Bugatti knows about the super luxury segment (and doing 300mph).
To that end, Oliver Blume went as far to say that: "This merger is the perfect solution for everyone involved. Together, we are forming a powerful automotive company". Given that Porsche owns a significant stake in the new venture, alongside Korean behemoth, Hyundai, that statement rings true. As does the potential for what Bugatti-Rimac might achieve in the coming years. Whatever materialises, expect it to happen quicker than expected - and go like the clappers.
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