KOTRA Zagreb Trade Center, Interview with CEO Rimatz
Hyundai Motor's 4th Largest Shareholder... "Increased Cooperation with Korean Companies"
[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The Nevera, an ultra-high-performance electric car made by Croatian manufacturer Rimac, is scheduled to be delivered to customers this month, according to Mate Rimac, the company's founder and CEO.
According to an interview conducted earlier this month by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) Zagreb Trade Office with Rimac's CEO and company strategists, the Nevera is being produced using a handcrafted manufacturing method. The company explained that the final assembly line takes about five weeks. They stated that the first vehicle will be available for customer delivery within this month. The company also mentioned that 80% of the parts required for vehicle manufacturing are produced in-house.
The company plans to produce about 150 units of this car and is still accepting additional orders, Rimac said. The car was publicly showcased earlier this month at the Goodwood Festival held in the UK.
According to the specifications released by the company, the Nevera has a maximum output of 1,914 horsepower (1.4 MW) and torque of 2,360 N·m. For comparison, a typical 25-ton diesel truck on the road usually has an output in the mid-500 horsepower range, and Tesla's Model S Plaid, which was deliberately engineered for high performance, has about 1,034 horsepower (1,020 HP).
The Nevera accelerates from a standstill to 100 km/h in 1.97 seconds. It reaches 300 km/h in 9.3 seconds and covers 402 meters (a quarter mile) in 8.6 seconds. Its top speed is 412 km/h. The Model S Plaid takes 2.1 seconds to reach 100 km/h and has a top speed of about 322 km/h.
In 2019, Chung Eui-sun, then Vice Chairman of Hyundai Motor Company (second from the left), is touring the Rimac factory with Thomas Simi?ra, Vice President of Hyundai Motor Company, and other company officials. The second from the right is Mate Rimac, CEO of Rimac.
Rimac is well-known among domestic car enthusiasts because Hyundai Motor Company is a major investor and participates in management, collaborating on high-performance car development. Hyundai invested about 100 billion won in the company in 2019, and until then, except for Rimac's CEO, Hyundai held the largest share. Subsequently, German luxury brand Porsche made successive investments, and recently, Japan's SoftBank also made a large-scale investment, making Hyundai Motor and Kia's shareholding the fourth largest.
The company strategist stated that they are willing to conduct pilot operations of autonomous vehicles in Korea as well. The current plan is to develop autonomous vehicles in the second half of next year and conduct pilot operations the following year. Although some foreign media previously speculated that the equity relationship or project cooperation with Hyundai Motor and Kia might be discontinued, Rimac CEO said that cooperation with Korean companies is proceeding well.
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