Mate Rimac’s comparison with Elon Musk is a shorthand for an ambitious electric-vehicle founder—not a claim that their companies, products or scale are equivalent. In an April 2020 interview with Loz Blain for New Atlas, Rimac described how a failed engine in his old BMW led him into electric-car engineering, and why he saw hypercars as both products and a way to demonstrate technology for other automakers.
Who is Mate Rimac?
Mate Rimac is a Croatian entrepreneur and automotive engineer who founded Rimac Automobili. In the April 11, 2020 New Atlas interview, he described the company as pursuing two connected goals: building high-performance electric cars and developing technology for other automakers. The headline’s comparison to Elon Musk reflects their association with founder-led electric-vehicle ventures; it does not establish equivalence in business strategy, product range, production scale or manufacturing output.
Rimac said he was 32, served as CEO and CTO, and was responsible for 750 employees at the time of the interview. Those are statements about the company in 2020, not current figures or titles.
How did Rimac get started in electric cars?
Rimac told New Atlas that his electric-car work began after the combustion engine in his 1984 BMW 3 Series failed following two races. He said he combined his interests in electronics and cars, drawing on his experience competing in electronics in Croatia. He also said he had two patents at age 17; that is his recollection in the interview, rather than an independently verified biographical record here.
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He summarized the gap between having an idea and building a company this way: “The idea is absolutely nothing. It’s one percent. It’s all about execution.” The point was not that ideas are irrelevant, but that engineering, development and business execution make the difference between a concept and a working vehicle company.
What was the Rimac C_Two?
The C_Two was a Rimac electric hypercar under development when the interview was published in April 2020. New Atlas described it as having 1,914 horsepower, a contemporaneous figure from that article—not a verified specification for a final production vehicle. Rimac discussed a car designed from scratch, with four motors and torque vectoring, as well as a broader aim than outright speed.
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He said the development program was intended to combine high performance with driver assistance, comfort, connectivity, luggage space and global homologation. To support driver-assistance systems, he described redundant electric steering and brake-by-wire provisions, alongside functional-safety work. Crash tests and track development were still ahead at the time. These were development plans and design intentions in 2020; the interview does not establish which targets or features were ultimately delivered.
Why did Rimac emphasize torque and repeatability?
Rimac argued that electric acceleration can be repeatable because a control system can manage power delivery electronically. In his explanation, a combustion-car launch can depend more on gear choice and traction execution. This was his engineering perspective in a conversational interview, not the result of a controlled comparison test.
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He also cautioned against comparing electric motors by shaft-torque figures alone. Gearing changes how much torque reaches the wheels, which is what moves the car. As he put it, “Torque on the wheels is what gets you going.” A motor’s quoted torque therefore needs context—especially the gearing and the point in the drivetrain being measured—before it can be meaningfully compared with another powertrain.
Why build hypercars and supply other automakers?
Rimac presented hypercars as a way to demonstrate what the company’s engineering could do, while technology supply offered a path to work beyond a low-volume vehicle business. In the interview, he named Hyundai/Kia and Porsche in connection with investment and technology work. He also said Rimac was doing work for Aston Martin, Koenigsegg, Renault and Pininfarina, while noting that some projects were confidential.
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These are relationships Rimac described in April 2020. The interview does not establish that each remains active today or specify the present scope of any contract. Its central business idea was that developing technology for its own demanding cars could support a separate supplier business serving other vehicle makers.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the Musk comparison does—and does not—mean
The comparison works as editorial shorthand for a founder associated with ambitious electric-car engineering. The interview’s substance is more specific: Rimac described the challenge of making a viable car company, the complexity of developing a road-going hypercar, and the prospect of supplying automotive technology as well as selling vehicles.
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It does not show that Rimac’s company matched Musk-associated businesses in size, output or scope, nor does it establish Rimac’s present corporate role or the current structure of Rimac and Bugatti. Its value is as a snapshot of Rimac’s thinking and ambitions in 2020, not a current corporate profile.
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