If you were building a Mount Rushmore of modern European automotive disruptors, Mate Rimac would already be chiseling his own face into the granite. At 38, he has managed to do what most industry veterans need a lifetime to attempt: run not one, but two globally significant car companies. But even the most ambitious founder eventually runs into the same immovable object—time.
This week, the Croatian electric powerhouse confirmed a leadership reshuffle that feels less like corporate housekeeping and more like a strategic rebalancing of an empire. Former COO Nurdin Pitarević steps up as CEO of the Rimac brand, while Rimac himself transitions to president, freeing him to focus more intently on his role at Bugatti, where he remains CEO. Taking over the COO role is Marko Brkljačić, who has effectively been operating in that capacity already.
The Real Story Isn’t the Cars
On the surface, this might read as a changing of the guard at the company that built the 1,914-hp Rimac Nevera, the EV hypercar that rewrote the performance record books. But the truth is more industrial—and arguably more important.
Rimac today isn’t just a boutique hypercar manufacturer crafting carbon-fiber lightning bolts for the ultra-wealthy. It’s a Tier 1 technology supplier moving tens of thousands of battery systems and high-performance power units annually. The real growth engine is Rimac Technology—the division that quietly powers everything from limited-production exotics to major OEM electrification programs.
And that’s precisely where Pitarević comes in.
The Operator Takes the Wheel
Pitarević arrived from Continental with the kind of operational pedigree you don’t usually associate with hypercar dream factories. Over the past several years, he has served as Rimac’s right hand, translating vision into production lines, and ambition into contracts. If Mate Rimac is the visionary who imagines a 250-mph electric missile, Pitarević is the executive who ensures the battery modules arrive on time and under budget.
In Rimac’s own words, Pitarević blends “deep operational experience with clear strategic thinking and a strong sense of people and culture.” Translation: he’s the adult in the room when scaling from dozens of cars to tens of thousands of high-voltage systems.
His mandate runs through 2030 and beyond, and it’s anything but modest. The roadmap includes sweeping digitalization powered by artificial intelligence, plus development of next-generation solid-state batteries—likely in partnership with ProLogium Technology, following an agreement signed in September 2025. If solid-state tech reaches production viability under Rimac’s roof, the company won’t just be building the fastest EVs in the world—it could be supplying the chemistry that defines the next decade of electrification.
Beyond the Nevera
Yes, the Nevera still exists as a rolling proof-of-concept for what happens when engineers are given free rein and a carbon budget that rivals a space program. And yes, the newly revealed Bugatti Tourbillon signals that combustion—albeit heavily electrified—isn’t dead in Molsheim.
But the broader play stretches far beyond halo cars. Partnerships with BMW Group and Ceer Motors are already public. Additional joint programs remain under confidentiality, which in automaker-speak usually means “very real and very expensive.”
This is where the leadership shift makes sense. Rimac the founder thrives on moonshots. Rimac the supplier needs structure, scale, and relentless process optimization. You can’t personally oversee hypercar development in France while simultaneously managing exponential battery output in Croatia—not if you plan to sleep.
Founder as President, Builder as CEO
Importantly, Mate isn’t going anywhere. As president, he retains strategic oversight and the cultural stewardship that made Rimac what it is: fast, fearless, and engineering-obsessed. But day-to-day execution now belongs to Pitarević.
In Silicon Valley terms, this is the classic transition from founder-CEO to founder-chairman. In automotive terms, it’s more unusual—and more telling. Hypercar startups don’t typically evolve into global battery suppliers. Then again, most hypercar startups don’t end up controlling Bugatti.
If Pitarević successfully scales Rimac Technology through AI integration, solid-state breakthroughs, and deeper OEM entanglements, this move won’t be remembered as a simple executive reshuffle. It’ll be seen as the moment Rimac stopped being just the company that built the world’s wildest electric hypercar—and fully embraced its role as one of Europe’s most important EV technology architects.
For enthusiasts, nothing changes. The cars will still be outrageous. The numbers will still be absurd.
But behind the scenes, the company just shifted into a higher gear.
Source: Rimac Automobili