Bugatti's Volkswagen Era Is Officially Over

The VW Group’s decades-long stewardship of hypercar royalty is officially over.

Porsche finalized the sale of its entire 45-percent equity stake in Bugatti Rimac and its 20.6-percent holding in Rimac Group. Total proceeds hit roughly €1 billion ($1.16 billion USD), with $290.7 million (€250 million) immediately earmarked to bolster internal pension obligations while Zuffenhausen shore up its own balance sheet.

The move severing Volkswagen’s last direct financial ties to Molsheim closes a chapter that started in 1998. That was when former VW boss Ferdinand Piëch bought the rights to the storied French badge, tasking engineers with building a 1,000-horsepower, 250-mph quad-turbo W16 moonshot known as the Veyron.

Where the Money Goes & Who Controls Bugatti

An investment consortium led by US-based HOF Capital—backed heavily by Abu Dhabi’s BlueFive Capital—acquired Porsche's stakes. The new shareholder setup leaves Rimac Group as the 55-percent majority owner of Bugatti Rimac, while financial investors hold the remaining 45 percent.

Parallel to the ownership transition, longtime Bugatti Automobiles president Christophe Piochon stepped down, leaving 38-year-old Mate Rimac to take over as president of Bugatti Automobiles while remaining CEO of the overarching joint venture. Marko Brkljačić steps into the Chief Operating Officer role.

For Porsche, the cash infusion boosts its 2026 automotive net cash flow margin projections to between 5.5 and 7.5 percent. The capital will directly fund Zuffenhausen's core product realignment, including a next-generation gas-and-electric crossover strategy, updated 718 Cayman/Boxster variants, and development of an upcoming flagship halo hypercar.

A Sold-Out Order Book Through 2029

The transition comes at a high point for Molsheim. The brand opened its new "La Manufacture" production facility in July 2026 to support assembly of the Tourbillon—the 1,800-horsepower hypercar pairing Cosworth's naturally aspirated 8.3-liter V16 with a triple-motor electric system.

With production of the Mistral roadster wrapping up and Tourbillon customer builds locked through 2029, Mate Rimac holds complete operational control of Bugatti's combustion-hybrid future without needing approval from a legacy German board.

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