Rimac Group founder Mate Rimac took to social media on Thursday to post a video that seemingly teases a new model, specifically a hatchback-like vehicle.
He included a statement with the post that something in development at Rimac for the past five years will be unveiled on June 26.
The video shows the silhouette of the vehicle juxtaposed with flickering photos of urban scenes, and with music in the background containing lyrics about “through the city's veins” and “we ride from dawn to noon.” The video also opens with a photo of famous futurist and visionary Jules Verne.
Though Rimac is best known for its high-performance electric vehicle technology, including the Nevera electric hypercar and its Concept_One predecessor, the vehicle in the teaser is unlikely to be a new hot hatch in the vein of Rivian's R3 and R3X models shown earlier in March.
Instagram post by Mate Rimac made on March 21, 2024
The teaser more likely alludes to a robotaxi that Rivian has previously confirmed for a debut in 2024.
Code-named Project 3 Mobility, plans for the robotaxi were first announced in 2021. It is being developed with some backing from Kia, which has a small stake in privately owned Rimac together with Hyundai.
Croatia's capital, Zagreb, where Rimac's headquarters is located, is expected to be the first city where the robotaxis are launched. Rimac has previously hinted at a service being ready by 2026. When announcing the project three years ago, Rimac said it was also in negotiations with 20 additional cities in Europe and the Middle East to launch the service.
Though it's hard to gauge, the angle of the vehicle's windshield, if there is one, looks like it may have been inspired by the famous Johnny Cab robotaxi depicted in the 1990 hit science fiction film “Total Recall.” Don't be surprised if Rimac has an avatar for a voice assistant that occupants in its robotaxis can interact with it, just like the Johnny Cab.
