Porsche Buys 10 Percent Of Rimac To Help With Future Electric Vehicles


If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. Porsche, for one, seems to be embracing that idea with its most recent investment.

The German automaker has taken a ten-percent stake in Rimac – the Croatian startup known for its electric hypercars like the Concept_One and the C_Two. It just revealed the latter, nearly a decade after the former, at the Geneva Motor Show this past March, packing nearly 2,000 horsepower’s worth of electric propulsion, a 1.85-second 0-60 time, and a top speed quoted at 256 mph (412 km/h).

As impressive as Porsche’s electrified sports cars already are, those figures far eclipse what even the groundbreaking 918 Spyder was capable of. So Zuffenhausen is evidently tapping into Rimac’s expertise to help develop its next generation of electric performance machines – like the forthcoming Taycan that was previewed by the Mission E concept.

“By developing the purely electric two-seaters 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,” said Porsche finance and technology chief Lutz Meschke. “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.”

“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”, added Mate Rimac, founder and CEO of his namesake company (pictured below next to Porsche chief Oliver Blume). Rimac has a staff of around 400 at its headquarters near Zagreb, and also produces electric bicycles under the name Greyp Bikes.

The tie-in could ostensibly extend to other Volkswagen Group brands as well. But what we can’t help but wonder is how Porsche’s influence might shape Rimac’s involvement in projects for other automakers. The company is slated to help Automobili Pininfarina, for example, launch its own electric hypercar and a range of crossover EVs aimed squarely at Porsche.

Carscoops

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Limited Edition Ford GT 'Competition Series' Is All About The Track

Image
Ford's new GT Competition Series was built with weight-saving in mind, but also with an improved center of gravity for better road-holding. Among its features, you'll notice the lightweight carbon fiber racing stripes, A-Pillars and side mirrors, as well as the unique race-inspired Perspex acrylic engine hatch with integrated venting. Thanks to the manual latch and the carbon fiber prop rod, weight near the roof has been reduced, though Ford engineers went even further in their quest to make the car lighter, by making the bulkhead Gorilla Glass behind the driver about half as thick (and as light) as on other models. "The Ford GT has racing in its blood," said Ford exec Raj Nair, while adding that the Competition Series "was developed with the most hardcore track enthusiasts in mind, providing a tailored set of lightweight features and unique livery to match." There are also plenty of remaining performance features from the production car, such as ...
Read more

Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet Is A Crossover For Droptop Lovers

Image
Droptop crossovers have always been rather odd and the T-Roc Cabriolet is no different. It will be the only convertible Volkswagen on sale for the foreseeable future and will celebrate its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Rather than simply removing the roof of the standard T-Roc, Volkswagen has drastically altered the vehicle’s structure and body. In fact, its wheelbase is 37 mm longer than the standard T-Roc while its overall length is up by 34 mm. In addition, the Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet features structural strengthening in the underbody, side panels, cross members, doors, and windscreen frame to make up for the lack of a roof. The folding fabric roof developed by Volkswagen retracts in just nine seconds at speeds of up to 19 mph (30.5 km/h) and is similar in operation to the roof of the outgoing Golf Cabriolet. The presence of the soft top reduces trunk space by 161 liters down from the 284 liters of the run-of-the-mill T-Roc. We don’t think bu...
Read more

Alpine A110 Hits Geneva With Pure, Legende And GT4 Versions

Image
Renault’s reborn Alpine brand has been getting rave reviews for its new A110 and now, as promised, it’s revealed new versions of its coupe at the Geneva Motor Show. Following the success of the sold-out Premiere Edition, the A110 will now be offered in Pure and Legende trims. The A110 Pure is targeted at driving enthusiasts. It features one-piece Sabelt sports seats that weigh barely more than 13 kilograms (28.6 pounds) each and, combined with other weight-saving measures, helps keep the curb weight below 1,100 kg ( 2,425 lbs). It’s not entirely stripped out, though, and still comes with features like air-conditioning and satellite navigation. Buyers can also add upgraded Brembo brakes and an adaptive exhaust system and can upgrade to the adjustable comfort seats. Those come standard on the Legende model, which is geared more towards every day driving and grand touring and comes with leather upholstery. Customers can also choose between two Focal sound systems and two wheel...
Read more