You are already driving the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport with a good 1,600 hp, a top speed of 440 km/h and are looking for a matching yacht in body color? No problem, if just a good four million euros are lying around unused somewhere, yacht builder Palmer Johnson should actually supply the matching accessory in the form of a yacht to go with it, including a fire table on board if desired, in order to grill the marshmallows in keeping with their status.
The emphasis is on “should.” Despite announcements in the media, there is no record of whether the Niniette with its avant-garde exterior has ever been launched. Even the Bugatti website provides no further details, and only the website of yacht designer Palmer Johnson contains concrete information about the project. But what is not, can still become.
Project Niniette 66 – the yacht in car color
However, the chance that the Bugatti Chiron / Bugatti Niniette 66 combination could soon appear in the marinas on the Croatian Adriatic is now increasing considerably with the news that Porsche and Rimac Automobili have completed their planning for a new joint venture between Bugatti and Rimac under the name Bugatti Rimac.
Unconventional marketing ideas are, after all, the hallmark of the Croatian flagship entrepreneur Mate Rimac. And the Niniette’s idiosyncratic design could well fit in with the corporate philosophy of the joint venture, perhaps even with an e-drive. Corresponding charging stations already exist near the water, such as in Medulin in Istria.
Joint venture Bugatti-Rimac
However, we are not there yet. Let’s return from speculation to the ground of facts. As the Bugatti press release states, the CEOs of both brands, Oliver Blume and Mate Rimac, have signed the relevant contracts for the “Bugatti Rimac” joint venture for this purpose. They provide for a shareholding of 55 percent for Rimac Automobili and 45 percent for Porsche.
The official launch of the joint venture is planned for the fourth quarter of 2021, subject to approval by the antitrust authorities in some countries. Bugatti will be contributed to the joint venture by its current owner Volkswagen. The shares will subsequently be transferred to Porsche. The new Bugatti Rimac company will combine the genes of both strong brands. Together, they will form a fascinating hyper sports car forge in Croatia – equally attractive to customers and employees alike.
Porsche partnered with Rimac
since 2018
Porsche entered into a successful partnership with Rimac Automobili back in 2018 and has gradually increased its stake in the young, agile and fast-growing automotive and technology company from Croatia. Today, Porsche holds a 24 percent stake in Rimac Automobili. Porsche itself is known as a leading sports car manufacturer from Stuttgart and has distinguished itself as the most profitable company in the Volkswagen Group. Rimac Automobili, in turn, is considered an industry pioneer in electric technologies, both as a technology supplier and, with the recently unveiled new Rimac Nevera, as a manufacturer of all-electric hyper sports cars.
Rimac Automobili and Bugatti
Mate Rimac, founder and CEO of Rimac Automobili: “This is a truly exciting moment in the short but rapidly progressing history of Rimac Automobili. This new joint venture opens up completely new opportunities. I have always loved cars, and with Bugatti I can see where such an automotive passion can lead. I can’t tell you how excited I am about the potential that will be created by combining the knowledge, technologies and values of both brands. This will allow us to create truly exceptional projects.”
Porsche wants to leverage Rimac synergies
Porsche also sees significant synergies. Oliver Blume, CEO of Porsche AG, said, “We are combining Bugatti’s strong know-how in the hyper sports car segment with Rimac’s enormous innovative strength in the promising field of electric mobility. Bugatti brings to the joint venture a brand rich in tradition, iconic products, unique quality standards and craftsmanship, as well as a loyal customer base and a global dealer network, Rimac new development and organizational concepts in addition to the technology itself.”
The stuff of dreams
One thing should be certain: Rimac, Bugatti and Porsche – this is the stuff that automotive dreams are made of- It enhances the innovative power of the Croatian economy accordingly. Hypercars “Made in Croatia” – this story could result in an initial spark of the economy for Croatia, which is shaken by excessive bureaucracy, if they know how to use the image gain properly.
Niniette revival under power?
And maybe the Bugatti Niniette 66 yacht will soon be driving purely electrically instead of with powerful diesel units as previously planned. Nothing is impossible at Mate Rimac…
