Record-setting hypercar axed early
The Rimac Nevera won’t make it to its original planned production run of 150 cars, with brand CEO and founder Mate Rimac giving it an early eulogy.
Rimac’s Nevera electric hypercar became one of the world’s fastest vehicles when it officially launched in 2021, but five years on, it appears to have reached the end of the road.
In a video posted to social media, founder and CEO Mate Rimac announced his brand has made 51 ‘standard’ Neveras so far and all 20 of its Nevera Rs so far, fewer than half of the original production plan for 150 cars, signalling now may be the time it’s wrapped up.
“I think it is still a pretty good achievement. It’s the most sold electric hypercar in the world,” said Rimac.
“And without that, there wouldn’t be the (Bugatti) Tourbillon today; there wouldn’t be this factory. So, it did its job. I think it’s a quite cool car...that will have its place in history. And thank you to all the owners who are part of this incredible journey.”
First revealed as the Rimac C_Two concept in 2018 – the follow-up to the Concept_One which Richard Hammond crashed on The Grand Tour – the Nevera entered production in 2021, while the hotter Nevera R broke cover in 2024.
The Nevera was already a very fast car and held a number of speed records, but the even wilder Nevera R was able to better it by setting 24 speed records in a single day.
Rimac has already signalled it may not produce another vehicle following the end of production for the Nevera, with Rimac Technology chief operating officer, Nurdin Pitarevic, telling Autocar last year it will instead on making better parts for other OEMs, focusing on hybrids and EVs.
Stephen Ottley
Already it has BMW, start-up CEER and Porsche listed as some of its customers, as it works on new e-axles and even solid-state batteries.
In the case of the solid-state batteries, Pitarevic has already made clear Rimac’s intention for the technology to launch in a Bugatti around 2030, bringing its flagship technology for one of the world’s most revered brands.
Rimac took a controlling stake in Bugatti back in 2021, forming a joint venture - simply titled Bugatti-Rimac - which it had a 55 per cent share of, with the remaining 45 per cent held by Porsche.
Jordan Mulach
In April, Porsche announced it was selling its 45 per cent stake in Bugatti-Rimac (the joint venture between the two brands) to a consortium led by New York-based HOF Capital, while it also sold its 20.6 per cent stake in the Rimac Group, held since the 2021 announcement.
Bugatti-Rimac is under the control of the Rimac Group, though HOF Capital is the Rimac Group’s largest shareholder, alongside Mate Rimac.
While Rimac is seemingly out of the car-making business, Bugatti is gearing up to launch the Tourbillon, powered by a V16 and plug-in hybrid system.
