21:58 26-11-2025

Rimac nears full control of Bugatti as Porsche weighs exit

Bugatti’s future is back in the spotlight of Europe’s automotive press. According to Les Echos, Porsche is in advanced talks with Croatia’s Rimac Group to sell its remaining 45% stake in the storied Molsheim marque. If the deal goes through, Bugatti would, for the first time, come under full Rimac control, marking a definitive exit from the Volkswagen Group’s orbit.

Until 2021, Porsche owned Bugatti outright, then sold 55% to Mate Rimac, the founder and head of the eponymous hypercar maker. Back then, the move looked like a strategic alliance between two tech-driven companies; today the backdrop is different. Porsche has disclosed a loss of around one billion euros amid a course correction, as the brand brings more gasoline models back into the lineup after overestimating demand for EVs.

Pressure is also coming from China, where Porsche’s sales have fallen in a core market increasingly contested by fast-rising players such as BYD, Geely and Xiaomi. The U.S. adds to the strain, with high import tariffs squeezing margins.

Against that backdrop, Mate Rimac’s long-stated ambition to own Bugatti outright appears perfectly timed, and now he has a real opening. Should Porsche part with its remaining share, Bugatti would effectively step out of the Volkswagen Group structure it has belonged to since 1998.

The answer to whether Bugatti becomes a Rimac exclusive is expected in the coming weeks. For the global industry, it could be a watershed—an evolution from the classic German school to a high-tech Croatian vision of tomorrow’s hypercars.