Rimac may be best known as a supplier of leading electric vehicle technology, as well as the maker of the Nevera electric hypercar, though that isn’t where the company’s future exclusively lies, judging by recent comments made by CEO and founder Mate Rimac.
Speaking during this week’s Financial Times Future of the Car conference in London, Rimac said electric vehicles have started to lose their cool factor as governments attempt to mandate the technology, and this has pushed buyers, especially in the high-end segment, to favor cars with gas engines, Autocar reported.
“The regulators and some OEMs push it so much that the narrative has changed,” he is quoted as saying. “They’re pushing stuff on us that we don’t want, so people get a little bit repulsed by it, this whole forced application.”
Rimac, who is also chief of Bugatti Rimac, which is responsible for hypercars from the Bugatti and Rimac brands, said buyers in the high-end segment prefer a more emotive, more analog experience. He gave the analogy of certain analog watches commanding higher prices than the latest smart watches despite the smart watches being much more capable.
Mate Rimac
Rimac also said he doesn’t see demand returning for electric hypercars, as the technology makes it hard to differentiate vehicles, something that he said is vitally important in the hypercar segment. He pointed out that Rimac’s own Nevera electric hypercar still isn’t sold out, despite the car have been revealed in 2021 and having a production run of only 150 units.
This is one of the main reasons he pushed for the development of a V-16 engine for Bugatti’s Chiron successor which is due for a reveal next month. The engine, which Rimac said will be naturally aspirated, will be paired with a hybrid system to deliver well over 1,000 hp in the Chiron successor.
He also said during the conference that Rimac cars don’t have to be exclusively electric, according to Autocar. He said Rimac is all about doing “whatever is most exciting at the time,” and this could potentially involve fuels such as natural gas, hydrogen, or even diesel.
The company is already in the process of branching out into technologies beyond the EV segment. In addition to its work at Bugatti, Rimac is also developing self-driving technology and plans its own robotaxi service. Rimac’s robotaxi is expected to be revealed as soon as next month.
