Rimac’s unexpected hatchback announcement is hard to parse—but there’s a good chance this car comes to the United States.
Performance wizard Mate Rimac was one of the first to truly show the potential of an electric hypercar. Now, the Bugatti-partnered brainiac might pull the EV world in the opposite direction, as he has now teased a mysterious hatchback—and it just might be the cheap EV we’ve all been waiting for.
The video was uploaded to Instagram by Mr. Rimac himself, showing a stop-motion video of a hatchback’s silhouette driving across the screen. Cutouts of the car against flashing cityscape backgrounds and an original music track speaking of driving through the city seem to suggest a small city car, of the kind so desperately awaited by markets like the United States. We have a reveal date, too: June 26.
“26th of June we’ll unveil something very special we’ve been working on for the last 5 years. Stay tuned,” Rimac said.
There isn’t much to the video aside from the above, though there are a couple small details that could give vague hints about what to expect. The video opens with a portrait of sci-fi author Jules Verne, which suggests the car could pay tribute to classics of the genre. (As opposed to the 1980s movies that a certain automaker is milking for all they’re worth.) A cat also floats past at the end, but I have no idea what to make of that.
Because Rimac is linked to the VW Group via Bugatti, it’s possible this car will be badged as something other than a Rimac. Regardless of brand though, it’s a little hard to see this car pioneering cheap EVs the way Rimac did with hypercars. Its sloped windshield and roofline don’t exactly scream utilitarian economy car; they’re more befitting of a performance hot hatch. At least we know it won’t be an SUV.
If anything, the car’s silhouette looks sort of like a VW Scirocco. While there are rumors of the Scirocco returning as an EV, they suggest the idea is much earlier in gestation than this car—now five years in development according to Rimac. It’s impossible to say for sure what’s really coming, but it seems like a good idea to expect as big a surprise as the Concept One was a decade ago. And with VW licensed to sell Rimacs in the U.S., there’s a good chance this won’t be forbidden fruit.
Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: james@thedrive.com
