[Auto] Rimac explains why Bugatti no longer fit within VW Group

[FazzNoth]

Mate Rimac discusses the Nevera delay, scarce chips and and why Bugatti no longer fit with VW Group.

"The easiest thing for us would be to take the Nevera [shown] and slam a Bugatti logo on it and call it a day. But I was against it," Rimac Group CEO Mate Rimac said.

 

Mate Rimac likes to say that Volkswagen, Porsche and Hyundai have invested hundreds of millions of euros in his education. He plans to use that to create new-generation Bugatti hypercars without spending billions as well as electric powertrains and battery systems that can be sold at high volumes. Rimac, who turned 34 this month, explained why Bugatti, despite being profitable, no longer was the right fit within the VW Group. He also shared the reason for the Rimac Nevara supercar's delay, outlined the high cost of the chip crunch and revealed why his new R&D center near Zagreb, Croatia, won't have fences in an interview with Automotive News Europe Managing Editor Douglas A. Bolduc.

What is the status of your next supercar, the Rimac Nevera?

Production was delayed because it's a super complex project, but the car is in production. The first customer cars are on the line. We will deliver the cars in the next two months.

What caused the delay?

It's mostly the availability of parts. People might ask why there is a problem with a car with such a low volume. The issues is that we are very vertically integrated. We make a lot of the parts ourselves, including all the electronics in the car. It's our own hardware and software. We have to procure thousands and thousands of electronic components for each car. And that's proving to be a challenge because of the chip shortage.

What has been the financial toll of the chip crisis?

For a component that's maybe worth $1, we would pay maybe $10 or $20 or $50 -- and in some cases even $100 -- for a chip just to avoid stopping the production. It has been a huge challenge. We have had to change a few designs and change some components on the cars just because we couldn't get the chips and processors.

https://europe.autonews.com/automakers/rimac-explains-why-bugatti-no-longer-fit-within-vw-group