Proving that it has established itself as a legitimate company in the auto industry, Rimac Automobili has sold 10 percent of the company to Porsche. Details of the German automaker’s investment in the Croatian electric supercar brand and technology company have yet to be specified, but the writing on the tea leaves point to it revolving around electrification, specifically with high-voltage battery technology and electric powertrains.

Porsche investing in Rimac didn’t seem like something that would happen as recently as a few years ago. But such is the state of the auto industry these days. Electrification has become such a big deal that it’s paving the way for Porsche to take a 10 percent stake in Rimac, which, in turn, would allow both companies to leverage their respective specializations to benefit the other.

The German automaker saw the potential in its Czech counterpart after the latter successfully developed the Concept One electric super sports car with an eye towards following it up with the C_Two. “By developing the purely electric two-seaters super sports cars, like the ‘Concept One’ or ‘C_Two’, as well as core vehicle systems, Rimac has impressively demonstrated its credentials in the field of electromobility”, says Lutz Meschke, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board and Member of the Executive Board for Finance and IT at Porsche. “We feel that Rimac’s ideas and approaches are extremely promising, which is why we hope to enter into close collaboration with the company in the form of a development partnership.”

For Rimac, being allied with Porsche is a big deal, especially when you consider where it came from. In 10 years, it has established a place in the industry, particularly in terms of high-voltage battery technology and electric powertrains. The humble roots from which it started back in 2009 has evolved into a multi-faceted company that’s also developing human-machine interfaces.

CEO Mate Rimac also commented on the new partnership with Porsche, saying that “it’s an important step on our way to becoming a component and system supplier of choice for the industry in electrification, connectivity and the exciting field of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.”

Ok, so maybe the specifics behind the partnership aren’t clear yet. But rest assured, the relationship between Porsche and Rimac is going to be something that we should all pay attention to. It’s even more important now that the German automaker is all set to develop the Taycan, it’s first-ever electric vehicle. Given this newly-minted partnership, don’t be surprised if Rimac ends up playing a big role in that car’s development.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2017 Rimac Concept One.

Read more about the 2018 Rimac Concept Two.

Read more Porsche news.