The Rimac BMW partnership is about to grow, and the Croatian firm is not keeping quiet about it. Boss Mate Rimac has confirmed two more cars in the pipeline, both developed alongside the Bavarian brand. Nothing official has been unveiled yet, which leaves plenty of room for speculation.
*Photos courtesy of BMW Group.*Inside the Rimac BMW partnership
Rimac has traveled a remarkable road, from a small outfit that built just eight Concept One hypercars to a manufacturing powerhouse that now owns Bugatti. Electric drivetrains for several premium brands keep its engineers busy between hypercar projects. Its latest work with BMW centers on a jointly developed battery system debuting in the new i7.
Combining Gen6 4695 cylindrical cells with Gen5 module technology, the pack is built as a scalable architecture. Rimac assembles it at its campus near Zagreb. Neue Klasse models seem the likeliest candidates, and the BMW iX3 already shows what that platform can deliver. Any car born from this Rimac BMW partnership will carry that engineering DNA.
Winning BMW business through pure engineering
Mate Rimac admits that BMW Group had no contract with his company when he walked its executives through the campus. He pointed to the spot where a dedicated BMW production line would sit. When BMW raised the issue, he waved it off with a simple promise: “I’m building it for you.”
“BMW is premium,” he said. “You have to be the best technically and commercially to supply them.” Still, that kind of confidence demands results. Rimac had to beat every rival on engineering merit and on price, or the deal never happens.
Why Porsche’s exit changes everything
In September, a consortium of investors bought Porsche’s 21 percent stake in Rimac Group. It also acquired the 45 percent share in the Bugatti Rimac joint venture. Freed from that influence, decisions move faster. Mate Rimac says a choice that once sat for six months awaiting board approval now gets made in a single meeting.
On paper, this is a clean sprint toward a bold new era. In reality, two mystery BMWs will test whether Rimac can keep the ferocity it showed with the Concept One. Expect enthusiasts to track these cars closely, because the Rimac name already carries serious weight in the hypercar market. Ultimately, the Rimac BMW partnership is a bet on speed, trust, and execution. Keep an eye on Munich and Zagreb, because the next reveal could arrive sooner than anyone expects.
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Marcus Vance
Senior Track & Performance Editor at Auto News Magazine. Veteran automotive journalist specializing in chassis dynamics, apex telemetry, track-day specials, and high-revving mechanical purity.
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