Bugatti Tourbillon – Designed and Made in Croatia – Long Read
Imagine if Ferrari were being built in Zagreb — the media would be buzzing about it for months. But what’s happening with Bugatti today is no less extraordinary: development and assembly are now taking place right here in Zagreb, just 2 km from our lab.
Over the years, under NDA restrictions, we’ve visited some of the most advanced factories in Europe — from Sindelfingen and Tesla GigaBerlin to smaller R&D centers. Each visit is equally inspiring, but also slightly discouraging when you realize how much equipment per square meter is available to them, while we spend months preparing to purchase a single device.
Then, one morning, an invitation — to peek behind the doors of Bugatti Rimac’s facilities in Jankomir and the Campus in Zagreb. On home soil, not somewhere beyond Frankfurt, stands a team of 2,500 people developing systems where even the German auto industry lags behind — or where their solutions are either too expensive or too slow — especially when it comes to battery system development. There is no greater concentration of agile development teams that, without hundreds of board meetings, turn ideas into products — for global brands.
The experience they’ve accumulated, likely starting from the BMW “cube” packs, through every type and configuration of cell, has probably led to the same conclusion we’ve reached: cylindrical cells are the only long-term sustainable format for EV applications. Today, they’re channeling that experience into three new battery systems for EU OEMs — all using 4695 NMC cells, one in a cell-to-pack and another in a cell-to-module configuration.
Inside the facilities, everything happens: from testing and sorting cells, ultrasonic and laser welding, robotic ‘snake’ structure assembly with cooling integration, validation, thermal testing, robotic adhesive application, cell stacking, terminal welding — all the way to complete modules and entire battery packs. Meanwhile, at the Campus, a robotic production line is being set up for EU-MADE EV batteries, to be launched in new models starting April next year. In other zones — all carbon fiber parts and the Tourbillon monocoque chassis are being built with microscopic QC standards that don’t tolerate even the tiniest imperfection. We needed a magnifier just to spot a marked reject.
Many visitors — and most readers of mainstream media — don’t even grasp what they’re looking at or how much knowledge, tooling, and organizational precision is required for such a process. The Jankomir halls and production house equipment worth over €200,000 per square meter. While we scrape for months to fund a single wire bonding machine, they have dozens in use. And that’s the moment you realize — this level of achievement deserves real respect. Mate got an opportunity — and he didn’t waste it. He couldn’t afford to. And now, we’re witnessing the start of something that will last for generations. Because no one else will even attempt something like this in the near future — future generations will find it easier to sell off their grandparents’ land and buy Fortnite skins.
In 2012, at the age of 25, driven by high oil prices and inspired by the Tesla Roadster, I began developing my own VFD electronics with dsPIC to convert a secondhand Končar industrial motor for an EV conversion of a Honda hybrid. But after a few months and running out of funds, I shut the project down — and the remnants of that project still haunt me from the bottom drawer of my office, 12 years later. Where would I be today if I had any kind of support back then? Would I have wasted that chance? (Photo in comments)
The most impressive part of Bugatti Rimac?
The full Tourbillon powertrain assembly — including a monocoque carbon chassis developed exclusively for this model. (We initially thought it was borrowed from the Nevera, but it was actually developed from scratch!) The engine is made by Cosworth, paired with a multi-speed Italian transmission and an integrated electric motor (developed in Jankomir, visible in the photo) — 300 kW in just 20 kg. It functions as a generator, drive motor, and starter — all-in-one. There are also two front electric motors with differentials.
The battery? A 24 kWh pack with cylindrical cells and unmatched C-rate performance — capable of delivering up to 600 kW.
The most advanced element:
An innovative direct cell-cooling system using dielectric fluid that flows between the cells — no traditional cooling tubes. Only terminals are exposed. It’s an idea we’ve often discussed, but no one has implemented it — until now. Homologating such a system in the automotive world is a nightmare — but Bugatti Rimac pulled it off.
Maybe even Mate isn’t fully aware of what he has created, but what we saw being built there — this is just the beginning of a new era. The current Campus is already too small. A larger development and production complex will be needed, one that exceeds the scale of the existing sector.
What does this mean for Croatia?
A massive halo and spin-off effect. Four years ago, it was difficult to convince foreign clients that EV Clinic was from Zagreb — they’d ask “What does Croatia have to do with EV battery repairs?” Today, Rimac has placed Croatia on the global map — not just with a brand, but with know-how. Clients no longer ask questions — they just load their vehicles onto a trailer and deliver them to us without notice, with full trust. Even our own early knowledge back in 2019 came from former Rimac engineers.
Croatia now has the highest concentration of battery systems experts per capita — this means future jobs, new small businesses, new entrepreneurs, a new industrial and business sector in Croatia, a new industrial momentum, and a unique position on the global stage. This should not be underestimated — we should be grateful, because this is creating an entirely new industry and ecosystem, a new source of national income alongside tourism.
And the best news for us?
If you’re buying an EV — next year you’ll have access to EU-made models with NMC cylindrical cells.
