Less Than 10 Years Till Humanity Gets First Bugatti EV 

Following the announcement of Bugatti and Rimac joining forces this morning, CEO Mate Rimac spoke about the joint venture at a conference in Croatia.

The leader of the newly created Bugatti-Rimac joint venture praised the joint venture as "the best hypercar firm in the world," claiming that "no one has done quite as much to redefine performance as Bugatti."

He went on to explain that Rimac and Bugatti will remain independent brands and that Bugatti would continue to produce cars in France. He did say, though, that Bugatti-Rimac's headquarters will be in Croatia, and that "manufacturing of components and technology for both brands" will take place there. Likewise, he specifically said that Bugatti batteries are built in the country, which is a not-so-subtle hint at an EV.

Lutz Meschke, Porsche's Deputy Chairman, used the event to declare that negotiations had been ongoing for 18 months since it "takes a long time to identify the correct structure for the new firm" and to get all stakeholders on board. However, he feels that the joint venture would benefit everyone, particularly Bugatti buyers because the brand's future has been ensured.

“New and fascinating models will be developed,” Meschke continued, “that will make the hearts of Bugatti lovers all over the world beat faster.” The company may have hinted at a couple of them when they displayed a slide with three cars below a cover for a brief moment. While one of them appears to be a traditional Bugatti, the other two are a little more enigmatic — though one of them could be the Bolide.

Porsche CEO Oliver Blume, for one, stated that the joint venture will ensure that Bugatti has a financially viable business plan in the future and that it will continue to produce vehicles with a unique personality and high level of craftsmanship. He went on to say that the company is currently in a strong position for the age of electric mobility and that in the medium term, “exciting new Bugatti models” will be developed together. He alluded to the latter when he said that electrified high-performance automobiles are now a possibility.

Bugatti's inventory will grow to include "items that are not exclusively hypercars," according to Autocar. There's not much to go on here, but they sound fascinating and innovative.

Mate Rimac also confirmed plans for electric vehicles, telling the publication that “fully electric Bugattis will be available within this decade.” Bugatti would continue to make cars with internal combustion engines, but they will be very much oriented towards hibrid.