It's Over: Bugatti Is No Longer Part Of The Volkswagen Group

• Porsche has finalized the sale of its stakes in Bugatti Rimac and Rimac Group, ending its direct involvement with the legendary French marque.
• The deal closes a nearly 30-year chapter that began when Ferdinand Piëch brought Bugatti into the Volkswagen Group in 1998.
• Bugatti now enters a new era under Mate Rimac, with Porsche out and a new investor group backing the brand’s future.

Well, that’s it, folks. Porsche has officially cut ties with Bugatti and Rimac, closing an important chapter in Volkswagen Group history. The house of Zuffenhausen completed the sale of its stakes in Bugatti Rimac and Rimac Group on September 9, following regulatory approval. Porsche gets about €1 billion ($1.16 billion) from the deal, with €250 million ($290.7 million) already earmarked for its pension obligations.

On paper, this is simply Porsche streamlining its portfolio and focusing on its core business. In reality, the transaction marks the end of Volkswagen Group’s direct involvement with Bugatti after nearly three decades. That story began in 1998, when then-CEO Ferdinand Piëch secured the rights to the Bugatti name.

The former VW Group supremo, who was notorious for ruling with an iron fist, wasn’t interested in simply adding another badge to VW’s increasingly impressive collection of luxury brands. He had much bigger ambitions for Bugatti. Under his watch, Volkswagen acquired Bugatti, Lamborghini, and Bentley in 1998 as part of an aggressive push into the high-end automotive market.

Bugatti La Maison Pur Sang Veyron 20 Years

Photo by: Bugatti

Bugatti Was The Crown Jewel Of The VW Group

The Bugatti project was arguably the most extreme of the three. Piëch wanted a car that would push the boundaries of what was technically possible, eventually resulting in the almighty Veyron. The 1,000-horsepower hypercar became one of the defining automotive projects of the 2000s and established modern Bugatti as a manufacturer of ridiculously powerful, extraordinarily expensive machines.

It’s difficult to overstate Piëch’s influence on what Bugatti eventually became. After his death in 2019, Bugatti noted that without Piëch, the brand would not exist in its current form. Porsche later became deeply involved in Bugatti’s next chapter.

In 2021, Porsche and Rimac created Bugatti Rimac, with Rimac Group holding 55 percent and Porsche the remaining 45 percent. Porsche also owned a 20.6 percent stake in Rimac Group. The idea was to combine Bugatti’s ICE heritage with Rimac’s EV expertise.

Bugatti La Maison Pur Sang Veyron 20 Years

Photo by: Bugatti

16-Cylinder Hypercars

That partnership produced some seriously interesting cars. The Chiron era gave way to the Mistral and, more recently, the Tourbillon, which showed that Bugatti wasn’t simply going to become another electric hypercar brand. The Tourbillon packs a naturally aspirated V16 and a hybrid system, proving that electrification doesn’t necessarily mean abandoning combustion altogether.

Now, however, Porsche is out. A consortium led by HOF Capital, with Abu Dhabi-based BlueFive Capital among the investors, has completed the acquisition of Porsche’s stakes. Rimac Group remains the majority shareholder of Bugatti Rimac, while Mate Rimac takes over as president of Bugatti Automobiles in addition to his role as CEO of Bugatti Rimac.

For Porsche, the reasoning is straightforward. The company says it is focusing on its core business by investing in new products such as a replacement for the first-generation Macan. It’s also working on electric versions of the Boxster and Cayman while planning to bring back the gas-fueled models. A three-row SUV is also in the pipeline, and Porsche is considering a new GT-type model and even a hypercar.

For Bugatti, this is the beginning of something, not the end. The brand is entering its next phase with Rimac firmly in charge and a new investor group providing the money to execute Mate Rimac’s long-term vision. The Molsheim-based elite brand is sold out until 2029, so the remainder of the decade is looking pretty good, especially since the head honcho is a true gearhead and clearly knows what he’s doing.

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Source: Bugatti

Motor1’s Take: Piëch’s fingerprints are still all over Bugatti, though. Without his decision to revive the name in the late 1990s, there probably would be no Veyron, no Chiron, and perhaps no Tourbillon. The brand that once seemed destined to disappear has instead become one of the world’s most exclusive automakers.

Now it’s heading into the future without Porsche, but with Rimac at the wheel. And considering how unconventional Bugatti’s modern history has been, it would be a mistake to assume the next chapter will be any less interesting.

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