Mate Rimac calls it the “spiritual successor of the Yugo – in every way” – and his choice of car gives away the joke
11 hours ago
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- An official sketch of a Rimac-branded hot hatch was shared online.
- Mate Rimac suggested that this could be the spiritual successor of the Yugo.
- The April Fool’s Day joke is based on Rimac’s recent teaser about an upcoming Robotaxi.
In the grand April Fool’s tradition of car companies vying to outdo each other with elaborate pranks, Mate Rimac of Bugatti Rimac certainly steals the spotlight. With a mischievous grin, the Rimac founder and CEO unveiled a rendering of a cool hot hatch on social media, playfully suggesting that his company might entertain the idea of producing “something for the people”.
The single sketch shows a three-door hatchback with a low-slung silhouette and pronounced rear shoulders. The imaginary vehicle inherits styling cues from the Rimac Nevera hypercar and its Concept One predecessor, including the LED headlights and the bumper intakes. It also sports a large rear wing and flying buttresses in a VW Scirocco-style tail.
The lone sketch depicts a three-door hatchback boasting a sleek, low-profile silhouette and distinctively pronounced rear shoulders. Drawing inspiration from the Rimac Nevera hypercar and its Concept One predecessor, the fictional vehicle incorporates design elements such as LED headlights and bumper intakes. Notably, it features a prominent rear wing and sleek flying buttresses reminiscent of the VW Scirocco tail.
More: VW Scirocco Could Return As An Electric Sportscar
It’s reasonable to assume that the compact Rimac would be fully electric, possibly sharing some hardware with the existing hypercar. Even harnessing half of the Nevera‘s immense 1,888 hp (1,408 kW / 1,914 PS) of electric power would likely make it the fastest hatchback ever produced, leaving competitors like the Audi RS3 Sportback and the Mercedes-AMG A45 in the dust.
Mate Rimac / Facebook
Mate Rimac commented: “We will unveil something special on the 26th of June. Some media has speculated that it will be a hot hatch. Well, they nailed it! We have decided to not make you all wait until June. Here it is… The spiritual successor of the Yugo – in every way. Finally something for the people!”
The Yugo reference is the giveaway that this post is an April Fool’s joke. Rimac couldn’t realistically produce such a wild model at an affordable price or handle the production volume of a mass-produced EV with its current facilities. Moreover, offering a budget vehicle wouldn’t align with the brand’s focus on high-performance hypercars, no matter how appealing the concept may seem. In any case, we love the fact that someone in Rimac’s design center took the time to put such an idea on paper.
The Reality Behind Rimac’s Teaser
The pictured concept might not be really under development, but the Croatian brand is actually working on an EV with a hatchback bodystyle. Rimac’s Robotaxi project started in 2019 following investments from Hyundai and Kia, and will soon come to fruition.
The vehicle will debut on June 26, and judging from the recent teaser, it will look dramatically different from the Nevera. The EV has been described as a “revolutionary vehicle built on a completely new platform designed around safety and comfort”. Besides the sophisticated autonomous driving technology, the Robotaxi will also come with advanced connectivity features allowing users to control its features via their smartphone. We can expect to learn more in the coming months.
