In late 2021, the pillars of the hypercar world were shaken. Rimac and Bugatti merged under a new joint venture called, fittingly, Bugatti Rimac. Could the two brands—one being a young EV hypercar builder and the other a seasoned combustion-engined hypercar powerhouse—actually coexist without sacrificing each brand’s identity? Bugatti Rimac CEO Mate Rimac pledged as much, and in the years since the merger, that’s remained true.
But behind the scenes, Porsche was also a significant player in the company. It holds a 45-percent stake in the joint venture, with Rimac being the majority at 55 percent. That could change per a Bloomberg report, which claims Rimac is looking to buy out Porsche’s slice of the pie.
Photo by: Bugatti
Citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter, the report states Rimac has already made a preliminary offer. A dollar figure isn’t mentioned, but the joint venture is allegedly valued at approximately $1.1 billion. The report goes on to say Rimac could seek out other investors to help make the purchase happen. Apparently, things are at a very early stage and negotiations are ongoing.
This is all unconfirmed chatter at this time. Porsche and Rimac have nothing official to say, but given the current state of the global auto industry, Porsche could probably use the cash from the deal. The German brand isn’t hurting, but global sales were down slightly in 2024 despite having a banner year in the US market. With tariffs now a reality for companies wanting to import and sell cars in America, 2025 could be a very different story for Porsche.
And then there’s Bugatti. The storied French brand has marched forward without losing any of its 16 cylinders, though some electrification has entered the mix. The Tourbillon’s new V-16 trades multiple turbochargers for three electric motors, but it’s still hypercar crazy with a total output of 1,800 horsepower. Meanwhile, at Rimac, the Nevera uses four electric motors to generate 1,914 hp. So if Rimac does wholly take over Bugatti, excessive power won’t be going away anytime soon.
We’ll jump in with an update should more information become available.