In 2009, Mate Rimac created Rimac Automobilii, an electric mobility company based in Croatia. Well, there are a lot of people around the world who say they want to build electric cars, but when the Rimac Concept One was revealed, it stunned the automotive world with its slinky styling and record-smashing performance. Having more than 1,000 horsepower will do that. Then Rimac announced its Concept Two would be even more awe-inspiring with 4 electric motors producing nearly 2,000 horsepower and range of more than 400 miles. That car is capable of reaching 60 mph from a standing start in 1.85 seconds.
This week, Porsche announced that it has purchased a 10% stake in Rimac. “By developing the purely electric two-seater super sports cars, like the ‘Concept One’ or ‘C Two,’ as well as core vehicle systems, Rimac has impressively demonstrated its credentials in the field of electromobility, We feel that Rimac’s ideas and approaches are extremely promising, which is why we hope to enter into close collaboration with the company in the form of a development partnership,” said Lutz Meschke, the member of the Porsche board responsible for finance and IT.
Rimac currently employs about 400 people and focuses on developing high-voltage batteries and electric powertrains. In addition to using that knowledge to build (very expensive) supercars, it also has a subsidiary called Greyp Bikes that builds electric bicycles, according to CNET. “This partnership now is an important step for Rimac on our way to become a component and system supplier of choice for the industry in electrification, connectivity and the exciting field of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems,” Mate Rimac said in a statement. His company counts Aston Martin, Koenigsegg, and Jaguar among its technology customers.
Porsche, of course, is on the verge of bringing its own electric cars, the Mission E electric sedan — now saddled with the rather unfortunate name of Taycan, which apparently means “lively young horse” in some obscure Asian language according to ArsTechnica — and the Mission E Cross Turismo, so why the sudden interest in Rimac?
Good question. Here’s a wild guess. Can you say “Tesla Roadster 2.0,” boys and girls? The goal for Porsche appears to be building the quickest production car in human history in order to claim bragging rights in the global marketplace. No word yet on whether rocket engines will be part of a future Porsche sports car package.
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