Zagreb (AFP) – The Croatian CEO of Bugatti vowed on Thursday to stop leaving keys inside cars after his multi-million-dollar Chiron was stolen and recovered in Austria with him chasing the thief in a Porsche. Mate Rimac’s car with a base price of 2.4 million euros ($2.7 million) was stolen on Wednesday from the company’s production and technology campus near Zagreb.
“I got it back obviously,” Rimac said on Instagram speaking in front of the vehicle. “I’m so proud of Croatia being so safe that I’m very relaxed, meaning I always leave my keys inside my cars, including Chiron and Nevera. I do that for years and nothing ever happened of course until something did happen now, so I will not do that anymore and don’t try your luck,” the 38-year-old added.
The theft was discovered after someone warned employees that an unknown person had driven off in the Chiron. Rimac immediately contacted police, used the car’s telemetry system to track its location as it travelled towards Slovenia, and set off in his Porsche 911 in hot pursuit. Updates were shared with police in a group chat, helping Austrian officers locate and arrest the suspect.
The suspect, whom Rimac met at a police station in Austria, is a Croatian man in his mid-30s. The man explained that he had come to the company looking for a job and took the car after seeing the keys inside. Though Rimac does not intend to press charges, he warned the suspect would be prosecuted due to the car’s high value. “Just the fact that he stole a Bugatti and especially this one told me that this guy has problems,” Rimac said.
The car sustained some damage but will be repaired. Bugatti is part of Bugatti Rimac, a joint venture in which Croatia’s Rimac Group holds a 55 percent stake. The remaining 45 percent was acquired by a consortium led by US investment firm HOF Capital in September, following Porsche’s exit, and Mate Rimac serves as CEO.
The Chiron had its world premiere at the Geneva International Motor Show in 2016. The maximum speed of the 1,500-horsepower car has been limited by Bugatti to 420 kilometres (260 miles) per hour.
© 2024 AFP
