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Who is Mate Rimac?
Meet Mate Rimac, the 33-year-old founder of electric hypercar brand Rimac set to transform the legendary brand that is Bugatti.
Words by: Andrew Woodhouse
Published on 29 December 2021 | 0 min read
Back in July 2021, Bugatti announced a joint venture with Croatian electric car manufacturer, Rimac Automobili, that will hand a hefty stake of the business over to Rimac.
This venture, called Bugatti-Rimac, will see Bugatti and Rimac remain separate brands, but introduce collaboration between them as they develop new hypercars and technology. But who is Mate Rimac, the brains behind the brand?
This venture, called Bugatti-Rimac, will see Bugatti and Rimac remain separate brands, but introduce collaboration between them as they develop new hypercars and technology. But who is Mate Rimac, the brains behind the brand?
Six facts about Rimac
1. Mate Rimac is notably proud to be Croatian and has said his goal is to bring automotive manufacturers to Croatia. While Bugatti manufacturing will continue to take place France, Rimac has consistently turned down offers to move his business out of Croatia.
2. An early innovator, Rimac built the iGlove (a device that replaced the computer keyboard and mouse with a glove) in 2005. He also invented a rear-view mirror system for avoiding a vehicle's blind spot, which he called Active Mirror System, which won an award at the IENA international trade fair in 2006. 3. Rimac’s first foray into electric cars was in 2006, when the gas engine of his BMW E30 blew up and he decided to convert it into an electric car. While it was initially mocked in his drift and circuit races, further optimisations meant his newly electric car began to win races and went on to set Guinness records. 4. Rimac founded Rimac Automobili in 2009 and remained the sole employee until 2011 – the year in which the company’s first model, the Rimac Concept_One, at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. 5. In 2013, Rimac also founded Greyp Bikes, who produce high-performance electric bikes including the G6 e-bike series. 6. In 2017, Rimac was named one of Forbes’ Top 30 Under 30 in the Industry category.
2. An early innovator, Rimac built the iGlove (a device that replaced the computer keyboard and mouse with a glove) in 2005. He also invented a rear-view mirror system for avoiding a vehicle's blind spot, which he called Active Mirror System, which won an award at the IENA international trade fair in 2006. 3. Rimac’s first foray into electric cars was in 2006, when the gas engine of his BMW E30 blew up and he decided to convert it into an electric car. While it was initially mocked in his drift and circuit races, further optimisations meant his newly electric car began to win races and went on to set Guinness records. 4. Rimac founded Rimac Automobili in 2009 and remained the sole employee until 2011 – the year in which the company’s first model, the Rimac Concept_One, at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. 5. In 2013, Rimac also founded Greyp Bikes, who produce high-performance electric bikes including the G6 e-bike series. 6. In 2017, Rimac was named one of Forbes’ Top 30 Under 30 in the Industry category.