Rimac CEO Reveals Details of New Bugatti Model in Development

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Bugatti is set to say goodbye to its iconic 8.0-liter W16 engine, which has powered its luxury hyper sports cars for over 20 years. The engine will end its journey in 2024, when the last examples of the Mistral and Bolide models are delivered.

Many have wondered what the future holds for Bugatti, especially after its merger with Croatian electric hyper sports car maker Rimac Automobili. Mate Rimac, CEO of Rimac, recently revealed some important details about a new model being developed by the combined companies.

It remains to be seen what this new model will bring to the table, but it is clear that the era of the W16 engine is coming to a close.

Auto Express spoke to Mate Rimac Chiron

“It wasn't an easy time, but I knew exactly what I wanted the [Chiron successor] to be and we started developing a combustion engine on our own—it's totally bonkers what you will see next year," Rimac told Auto Express.

"I think everybody will be blown away when they see what we did. We started developing a new combustion engine two years before we took over the company, which is something I guess nobody expected”. “It'll be different technology, but also in the approach," Rimac tells Auto Express.

"Bugatti is all about heritage and craftsmanship and 100 years of history. It's a little bit aristocratic perfectionism. On the technical side we will have combustion engines for the foreseeable future—and it's more luxury.

It has to be a bit serious, too. The Bugatti thing is more turn up to the opera and then drive 400 km/h on the autobahn. It will be more beautiful, analogue instruments, kind of watch making stuff."

Rimac brand will focus more on developing technologically advanced tires

“With Rimac we want it to be absolutely insane, bonkers, full-electric—drifting at 60 km/h with a gigantic cloud of smoke behind you, autonomous drift modes, futuristic stuff," Rimac tells Auto Express.

"I feel like we have the perfect two canvases for totally different forms of hypercar. Bugatti will be going more in the direction of beautiful art—of course, performance will still be top—but it'll be this artistic approach.

Rimac will be about bending physics”. Mate Rimac explains that after the decision was made to merge the two companies, he immediately abandoned the original plan to launch an SUV, deciding instead to work on a hybrid hypercar.

That model will be unveiled next year, but with Mistral and Bolide deliveries scheduled for 2024, it's likely the new Bugatti won't hit the streets until around 2025.