After almost three decades under Volkswagen Group ownership, Bugatti has officially entered a new chapter. Porsche has completed the sale of its stake in Bugatti Rimac and the Rimac Group, formally ending the Volkswagen Group’s ownership connection with the legendary French hypercar manufacturer.

The transaction marks the end of one of the most significant chapters in modern Bugatti history. Volkswagen Group acquired the rights to the Bugatti name in 1998, and under its ownership the French marque evolved from a historic automotive name into one of the most recognizable and technologically ambitious hypercar manufacturers in the world.

Now, with Porsche completely out of Bugatti Rimac, Mate Rimac is taking a much more prominent role in the future of Bugatti.

Volkswagen Revived Bugatti in the 1990s

Bugatti’s modern revival began in 1998, when the Volkswagen Group, under then-CEO Ferdinand Piëch, acquired the rights to the historic French brand.

Piëch had ambitious plans for Bugatti. Volkswagen subsequently presented several dramatic concept cars as it explored how to return the marque to the top of the automotive world.

The result was the Bugatti Veyron.

When it arrived, the Veyron fundamentally changed expectations for what a production road car could achieve. Its quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W16 engine, enormous power output and extraordinary engineering made it one of the defining performance cars of the 21st century.

The Veyron was eventually followed by the Bugatti Chiron, which pushed the formula even further and established Bugatti as one of the world’s ultimate hypercar manufacturers.

For Volkswagen, Bugatti had become much more than a historic name. It had become a technological showcase for the group.

The Birth of Bugatti Rimac

The next major change came in 2021.

Volkswagen Group decided to restructure its ownership of Bugatti, bringing Rimac into the picture. The resulting joint venture, Bugatti Rimac, gave Rimac a 55 percent stake, while Porsche retained the remaining 45 percent.

It was an unusual but potentially powerful combination.

On one side was Bugatti, a brand synonymous with extreme luxury, mechanical engineering and record-breaking internal-combustion engines. On the other was Rimac, a company that had established itself as a leader in high-performance electric powertrains, batteries and advanced vehicle technology.

Porsche played a central role in the arrangement through its ownership position in the Volkswagen Group structure.

Five years later, that relationship has now come to an end.

Porsche Completes Its Exit From Bugatti Rimac

In April 2026, Porsche announced that a consortium led by HOF Capital had agreed to acquire its stake in Bugatti Rimac. Following the necessary regulatory approvals, the transaction has now been completed.

Porsche has sold both its stake in Bugatti Rimac and its 21 percent stake in the Rimac Group.

According to Porsche, the transactions will generate proceeds of approximately €1 billion. Around €250 million of that amount will be used to further finance pension obligations and improve the company’s net cash flow margin.

While Porsche is now leaving the ownership structure, the relationship with Rimac has already produced tangible technology for one of its most important products.

The Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid uses a battery supplied by Rimac, demonstrating that the collaboration was about more than simply ownership structures and corporate transactions.

Mate Rimac Takes Over as Bugatti President

The completion of the deal also brings significant changes to Bugatti’s management structure.

Mate Rimac, founder of Rimac, will become President of Bugatti Automobiles. He replaces Christophe Piochon, who is stepping down from his positions as President of Bugatti Automobiles and Chief Operating Officer of Bugatti Rimac.

The move gives Rimac even greater influence over the future direction of Bugatti.

Marko Brkljacic, formerly Chief Operating Officer of Rimac Technology, will join the Bugatti Rimac management team as Chief Operating Officer.

Meanwhile, current Bugatti Automobiles CEO Hendrik Malinowski will move into the role of Chief Commercial Officer.

The changes suggest that Bugatti and Rimac are entering a new phase in which the relationship between the two companies will become increasingly integrated, while Bugatti itself remains focused on maintaining its unique identity.

The Bugatti Tourbillon Is the First Car of the Rimac Era

The first major product to emerge from the Bugatti Rimac era is the Bugatti Tourbillon.

It is an important car for the brand for several reasons.

The Tourbillon represents Bugatti’s first electrified production model, combining a high-performance internal-combustion engine with an electric powertrain. It is therefore a significant technological departure from the Veyron and Chiron, while still following Bugatti’s traditional philosophy of combining extreme performance with luxury and engineering sophistication.

Before the Tourbillon was revealed, there was considerable speculation that the successor to the Chiron could become a fully electric hypercar.

Given Rimac’s expertise in electric vehicles, the assumption seemed logical.

But Mate Rimac and his team took a different approach.

Rather than turning Bugatti into another electric-only hypercar manufacturer, the company chose a plug-in hybrid powertrain. The decision allowed Bugatti to embrace electrification without abandoning the combustion engine that has been central to the brand’s identity for decades.

That strategy was not entirely unexpected.

When the Bugatti Rimac joint venture was created in 2021, Mate Rimac identified a plug-in hybrid hypercar as one of the objectives within his ten-year vision for Bugatti.

The Tourbillon is the result of that philosophy.

Bugatti Refuses to Abandon the Combustion Engine

The Tourbillon is particularly significant because it demonstrates that electrification does not necessarily mean the end of the internal-combustion engine at the highest level of performance.

Instead, Bugatti has used hybrid technology to enhance its traditional formula.

That distinction matters.

Rimac has demonstrated what is possible with fully electric hypercars, but Bugatti occupies a different position in the automotive world. Its customers expect not only breathtaking acceleration but also mechanical theatre, craftsmanship, exclusivity and a sense of occasion.

The Tourbillon attempts to combine those characteristics with modern electrification.

It is effectively Bugatti’s answer to the question of how a hypercar brand built around enormous combustion engines can move into the electric age without losing its identity.

A New Home for the Tourbillon in Molsheim

The Tourbillon also represents an important milestone for Bugatti’s manufacturing operation.

The brand’s new La Manufacture production facility in Molsheim was created specifically to support the next generation of Bugatti vehicles.

The facility represents a significant investment in the future of the brand and reinforces Bugatti’s commitment to producing its cars in Molsheim, the historic home of the company.

For Bugatti, this is about more than constructing a new factory. It is about combining traditional French craftsmanship with the increasingly sophisticated technology required to build modern hybrid hypercars.

That combination is central to Bugatti’s identity.

What Happens to Bugatti Now?

The end of Volkswagen Group ownership does not mean Bugatti is becoming a conventional Rimac product.

In fact, the opposite may be true.

Bugatti and Rimac have always represented two very different approaches to performance. Rimac’s expertise lies heavily in electric propulsion, batteries, software and advanced vehicle technology, while Bugatti’s appeal is built around luxury, exclusivity, craftsmanship and mechanical engineering.

The challenge for Mate Rimac will be maintaining that distinction while taking advantage of the technology and expertise available through the wider Rimac organization.

The Tourbillon suggests that the company already has a clear philosophy.

Bugatti will embrace electrification, but it will do so on its own terms.

The End of a 28-Year Volkswagen Chapter

Volkswagen’s involvement with Bugatti began in 1998 with Ferdinand Piëch’s ambitious plan to revive one of the world’s greatest automotive names.

It produced the Veyron, one of the most influential performance cars ever built, followed by the Chiron and an entire generation of Bugatti models that transformed the brand into a symbol of automotive excess and engineering ambition.

The 2021 creation of Bugatti Rimac represented another turning point.

Now, with Porsche’s stake sold and the transaction completed, the Volkswagen era has officially ended.

Bugatti is entering its next chapter under much stronger Rimac influence, with Mate Rimac moving into the role of President of Bugatti Automobiles.

The Tourbillon is the first major statement of that new era. It combines a combustion engine with electric assistance, traditional Bugatti craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology, and the heritage of Molsheim with the engineering expertise of Rimac.

The biggest question now is not whether Bugatti will change.

It is how far Mate Rimac will take it.

For a company that has already produced the Veyron and Chiron, expectations could hardly be higher.

Source: Bugatti