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Tag: hypercar

  • New Electric Hypercar Powerhouse: Rimac Takes Reins At Bugatti

    New Electric Hypercar Powerhouse: Rimac Takes Reins At Bugatti

    112-year-old Bugatti makes some of the most exclusive cars in the world. Its combination of ultra-luxury and mind-boggling speed has defined the hypercar genre for decades, especially under the stewardship of the Volkswagen group, it has thrived since 1998. In the age of electric cars, however, its dependence on the internal combustion engine would’ve antiquated the brand soon. In a masterful move, Volkswagen Group has handed over all its shares of Bugatti to its subsidiary Porsche which is another iconic sports car brand. Porsche, like most brands in the Volkswagen group, has been on its journey of electrifying its portfolio. Its investment in electric hypercar startup Rimac gave it a 24 percent stake in 2018 and a technology flow-over. But now the relationship is even closer, as Porsche has handed its control of Bugatti to Rimac and formed a joint venture called Bugatti Rimac in which it is a 45 percent stakeholder.

    Rimac is restructuring its corporate structure fully – creating a holding company called the Rimac Group which has a controlling 55 percent stake in the newly formed Bugatti Rimac. It cites Rimac Technologies as its other business and the entity cites Porsche, Hyundai as stakeholders amongst other investors. Mate Rimac, the founder and CEO of RimacAutomobilii will continue to be the CEO of the new Rimac Group with him being the leader of both Bugatti Rimac and Rimac Technologies. He also retains 37 percent of his stake in the Rimac Group. Porsche has a 24 percent stake in the Rimac Group, while Hyundai owns 12 percent in the new entity.

    Under the new structure, Porsche gets 45 percent stake in the JV and retains its 24 percent stake in the Rimac Group.

    “Bugatti and Rimac will both continue as separate respective brands, retaining existing production facilities and distribution channels,” Mate Rimac says. “Bugatti Rimac represents the company that will develop the future of both Bugatti and Rimac vehicles, by joining resources and expertise in research and development, production, and other areas,” he adds.

    Rimac and Bugatti as brands will remain separate — while Bugattis will be built to their exacting standards from their home in France while Rimac’s will be continued to made in Croatia. As of now, Rimac’s new electric hypercar, the Nevera will be sold separately from the Bugatti Chiron – but together, the JV is now home to two of the most powerful hypercars – one being based on hybrid technology with an internal combustion engine at its heart and the other one fully being propelled by batteries and electric motors.

    Rimac’s technology has attracted it to many automakers like Porsche and Hyundai which previously invested in it. Its technologies unit supplied parts and technology to some of the world’s biggest OEMs like Porsche, Aston Martin, Pininfarina, and of course Bugatti. In fact, the Rimac Nevera takes over the mantel of the world’s fastest hypercar from the Bugatti Chiron with its 1,888 bhp Nevera having the ability to achieve 0-100 km/h in less than 2 seconds.

    Rimac is also building a new headquarters in Croatia which will open in 2023 replete with its now test track and uniquely will be a fully open campus. Bugatti will most likely utilise Rimac’s technology to make a fully electric hypercar something which Mate Rimac hinted at. This will take time, though, with the new vehicle coming only by the end of the decade, so in the meanwhile, it will continue to sell its hybrid cars alongside fully electric Rimac branded vehicles.

    “This is a truly exciting moment in the short, yet rapidly expanding history of Rimac Automobili. We have gone through so much in such a short space of time, but this new venture takes things to a completely new level. Rimac and Bugatti are a perfect match in terms of what we each bring to the table. As a young, agile and fast-paced automotive and technology company, we have established ourselves as an industry pioneer in electric technologies,” Mate Rimac added.

    “We are combining Bugatti’s strong expertise in the hypercar business with Rimac’s tremendous innovative strength in the highly promising field of electromobility. Bugatti is contributing a tradition-rich brand, iconic products, a loyal customer base, and a global dealer network to the joint venture. In addition to technology, Rimac is contributing new development and organizational approaches,” said Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board at Porsche AG.

  • Rimac Nevera Electric Hypercar Unveiled

    Rimac Nevera Electric Hypercar Unveiled

    After a long wait, Rimac Automobili has finally unveiled the Nevera, an all-electric, hypercar that has been designed and engineered to surpass anyone’s expectation of an electric car. The Nevera is the production-ready iteration of the Rimac C_Two concept car, which was revealed at the International Geneva Motor Show in 2018. Since then, Rimac’s engineers have refined the new flagship car. The Nevera was developed in-house at Rimac’s headquarters in Croatia and only 150 examples of the car will be made.

    Underlining his own commitment to the project, Mate Rimac will personally test and sign off each of the Neveras, before they are delivered to customers from the company’s current production site on the outskirts of Zagreb, Croatia.

    Nevera’s monocoque construction includes a bonded carbon roof, integrated structural battery pack, and rear carbon subframe, is forming the largest single carbon fibre piece in the entire automotive industry. Weighing less than 200 kg and utilizing 2200 carbon fibre plys and 222 aluminum inserts, the monocoque encases the car’s battery to form a compact yet incredibly strong structure with a torsional stiffness of 70.000 Nm/degree.

    The unique H-shaped, liquid-cooled, 120kWh, 6960-cell battery was designed from scratch by Rimac and sits at the heart of the Nevera. Capable of producing 1.4MW of power, the Lithium/Manganese/Nickel battery also forms an integral part of the car’s core, adding 37 percent structural stiffness to the carbon fibre monocoque. The battery’s optimum positioning low and central within the car’s floor contributes to an ultra-low centre of gravity. This helps create a 48/52 front/rear weight distribution.

    Four bespoke surface-mounted permanent magnet motors drive the Nevera’s four wheels individually. Together, they enable 1914 horsepower and 2360 Nm of torque, which is triple the output of a ‘conventional-engined’ supercar. The front and rear wheels are each connected to a pair of single-speed gearboxes.

    With the ability to sprint to 96.5 kmph in 1.85 seconds and continue the acceleration all the way to a 412 kmph which is its top speed, the Nevera opens up a new dimension in hypercar performance. Accelerating from rest to 161 kmph requires just 4.3 seconds and it maintains acceleration throughout a full-throttle cycle, achieving 300 kmph from rest in 9.3 seconds, shredding a whole 2.5 seconds from the initial targets.

    Rimac’s All-Wheel Torque Vectoring 2 (R-AWTV 2) system replaces traditional Electronic Stability Program and Traction Control systems to further bolster grip and traction. Meanwhile, the Nevera’s R-AWTV 2 system enables infinitely variable dynamic responses to road and track conditions by calibrating the amount of torque supplied to each wheel. R-AWTV 2 calculates the precise level of torque to channel through each wheel for ultimate stability and exceptional agility. Both predictive and responsive, R-AWTV reads the road and makes over 100 calculations per second to tailor the level of torque to achieve the desired driving style.

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  • The Aston Martin Valhalla Is The Company’s New Hypercar

    The Aston Martin Valhalla Is The Company’s New Hypercar

    Formerly identified by its codename AM-RB 003, Aston Martin’s latest mid-engined hypercar collaboration with Red Bull Advanced Technologies and Adrian Newey has been officially named the Aston Martin Valhalla. Named after the warrior’s paradise celebrated in ancient Norse mythology, Valhalla employs a lightweight construction method and radical aerodynamics pioneered in the Valkyrie. The Valhalla will be propelled by a combination of a high-efficiency, high-output turbocharged V6 petrol engine and a battery-electric hybrid system. Of course, it’s a limited edition model and only 500 examples of this all-carbon fibre hypercar will be built.

    Together with the recently announced Vanquish Vision Concept, Valhalla continues this proud, seven decade old ‘V’ car naming strategy, providing an evocative and powerful moniker fit for one of the world’s most compelling ultra-high performance cars.

    Aston Martin Lagonda President and Group Chief Executive Officer, Andy Palmer said, “Aston Martin model names always attract a lot of attention. They do so because they invariably capture an emotion or tell a story. In following the Valkyrie we knew the Aston Martin Valhalla needed to make a strong statement of its own, yet also offer continuity and a clear connection. Norse mythology contains such powerful language and rich storytelling it felt only right that the AM-RB 003 should follow the Valkyrie’s theme. For those fortunate enough to own one I’m sure they will recognise and appreciate the name’s connotations of glory and happiness, for there can be few more hallowed places than the driver’s seat of an Aston Martin Valhalla.”

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  • Lotus Teases Type 130 Electric Hypercar

    Lotus Teases Type 130 Electric Hypercar

    Lotus has confirmed that Type 130, the brand’s first all-new model in more than a decade, will be revealed to the world’s media at an exclusive event in Central London on 16 July, 2019. The company also announced that only 130 examples will be available to own – representing the number of Lotus ‘Types’ introduced during the brand’s 71-year history.

    The Type 130 will be the world’s first British all-electric hypercar. Lotus also confirms that the Type 130 will be built at Hethel in Norfolk, the brand’s headquarters since 1966. It will be the most dynamically accomplished road car in the company’s history according to Lotus and while the specifications of the car elude us, we’ll know more about the car very soon.

    However, there are reports doing the rounds that the new hypercar will be low and wide and will have roughly the same length as the Evora. There are other reports that suggest that it will be a 1000 horsepower car, will come with all-wheel drive and a range of 408 km on a single charge

    The company has teased the new Type 130 and we only get to see what appears to be the rear of the car. It carries the ‘illuminated’ Lotus brand name and gets an electrically operated cover for the charging port. We also get a chance to see the taillights but not in its entirety. Of course, the teaser campaign will continue and we’ll know more about the car closer to the launch, so stay tuned!

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  • Most Affordable Bugatti Launched

    Most Affordable Bugatti Launched

    If you thought this was a click-bait headline, we wouldn’t blame you for it. Bugatti and cheap or affordable rarely go together in a sentence and only even then, the figures resemble a small country’s GDP. This time, however, we actually mean it. Bugatti, the creator of hypercars like the Veyron and the Chiron, has launched its most affordable offering. This time though, it’s in the toy sector with its new Bugatti Baby II ride-on electric vehicle. Inspired from the Bugatti Baby I, the toy car can be driven by both kids and adults, and is priced at $34,000.

    The Bugatti Baby II is a modernised version of the half-scale Type 35 race car replica that the automaker’s founder Ettore Bugatti had built for his son nearly a century ago. While the original Baby I built between 1927 and 1936, was specifically for children, the Baby II is more accommodating and can be driven by adults too thanks to the larger proportions. The toy car gets an electric motor and with two power modes – child and adult. The child mode restricts the top speed to 20 kmph with power limited to 1.3 bhp, while the adult mode will let you top it out at 45 kmph. Much like the Chiron though, the Baby II also comes with a “speed key” that allows you to remove the limiter altogether unleashing all the 13 horses from the electric motor. The higher speed though, we reckon will come at the cost of battery life.

    The Bugatti standards of manufacturing apply to its most affordable offering as well. The cockpit is fitted with all plush materials including the aluminium dashboard, leather upholstered seat, an old-fashioned Type 35-style four-spoke steering wheel and a Bugatti instrument panel. You can also match the Baby II’s colour scheme with that of your Chiron, plus eight-spoke aluminum alloy wheels and fully functioning headlights can be added as optional extras. Definitely an upgrade over the toy cars sold at Hamleys.

    At $34,000, the Bugatti Baby II is not cheap. In fact, for those in the US, a couple of extra thousand dollars will get you a Tesla Model 3. But then again, this is for the ultra rich that may have a Veyron or a Chiron stacked up in a garage somewhere. The fact that only 500 of these will be made (just like the original), certainly makes them a lot more rare than we’d expect.