June 20 (SeeNews) - Porsche said on Wednesday it has taken a shareholding of 10% in Croatia's technology and electric sports car maker Rimac Automobili for an undisclosed price.
As part of its electrification efforts, Porsche is seeking a development partnership with the young company, the German sports car manufacturer said in a statement.
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Rimac develops and produces electric vehicle components and manufactures electric super sports cars.
"By developing the purely electric two-seaters super sports cars, like the Concept One or C Two, as well as core vehicle systems, Rimac has impressively demonstrated its credentials in the field of electromobility", Lutz Meschke, deputy chairman of the executive board and member of the executive board for finance and IT at Porsche, said.
"We feel that Rimac’s ideas and approaches are extremely promising, which is why we hope to enter into close collaboration with the company in the form of a development partnership", Meschke added.
The fast-growing Zagreb-based company employs around 400 employees.
Rimac’s main focus is on high-voltage battery technology, electric powertrains and the development of digital interfaces between man and machine (HMI Development). Rimac also develops and produces e-bikes under its subsidiary Greyp Bikes, which was founded in 2013.
"This partnership now is an important step for Rimac on our way to become a component and system supplier of choice for the industry in electrification, connectivity and the exciting field of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems", Mate Rimac, founder and CEO of Rimac, said.
In 2009, Mate Rimac began working from his garage on his vision of producing electric sports cars.
In March this year, he unveiled the latest version of his electric hypercar, the C Two, at the Geneva Motor Show. The two-seater produces around 2,000 hp and reaches a top speed of 412 kilometres per hour.