Rimac could be catalyst for new Croatian automotive industry

Croatian electric supercar producer Rimac wants the country to play a strategic role within the new automotive sector.

“We want Rimac to be a success story, but moreover, we want to share our experience to help attract the auto industry to Croatia,” said Rimac founder and CEO Mate Rimac. He was speaking at a workshop organised together with Croatian prime minister Andrej Plenković and Rimac’s shareholders Hyundai Motor Group and Porsche AG.

The workshop focused on the many changes the automotive industry is currently undergoing, in particular moving to electrified, connected and autonomous vehicles. These disruptive trends are rapidly changing the industry, offering new opportunities and major automotive manufacturers and suppliers have increased their spending on research and development significantly over the last 10 years. Furthermore, global automotive producers have shifted their production towards CEE countries from Western Europe.

“Croatia has the opportunity to become the next major destination for the new car industry. Today, countries are competing on the open market, just as companies are. To be attractive to manufacturers and suppliers, we need to develop comparative advantages over other countries. We want to contribute to attract investors to Croatia, and our role is to point to the needs and expectations of the auto industry. The government’s role is to decide whether the new auto industry is the right direction for Croatia’s strategic development and, if so, form policies in the direction of attracting investment,” Mr Rimac added.

“The automotive industry needs to get the same attention as soccer in Croatia,” commented Lutz Meschke, deputy chairman and member of the executive board at Porsche AG. “It is a country full of potential. Its tourism is unique. There are very well educated young people. As part of its electrification efforts, Porsche decided last year to partner with Rimac, which has impressively demonstrated its credentials in the field of electromobility. The country now has the chance to be a relevant location for the automotive industry on an international level.”