BMW and Rimac Are Developing Two More Cars Together

Long-Term Partnership

Partnerships between major carmakers are becoming the norm, with an ever-evolving industry and never-ending competition. This has forced the established automakers to rethink their business models and strategies, leading them not away but into each other’s arms.

BMW and Rimac are two very successful companies in their own right; this year, they decided to band together, and it seems more cars forged from this partnership are on their way.

The More The Merrier

The partnership between the two brands is set to expand beyond the already announced 2027 BMW i7. Rimac founder Mate Rimac told Automotive News that two more models are in the partnership.

“There are two more cars in the pipeline that we are doing, but I can’t provide additional details yet,” Rimac told the publication.

The i7 is the first car to feature Rimac technology, and it shows the Croatian automaker’s ability to meet BMW’s strict standards for cost, quality, production capacity, and performance. At this point, we can only speculate that BMW’s Neue Klasse cars are the prime candidates for Rimac’s EV technology.

Multi-Year Audition

Rimac, being the outspoken person he is, admitted that it took time to win over the BMW partnership. He said it took them 3 years of development work, and as with anything in the automotive industry, many suppliers, along with Rimac, were bidding for the spot. To stand out, Rimac made a bold move before securing the contract from BMW.

When brand representatives visited the Rimac campus, he showed them where their production line would be. He bet on building the facility to meet BMW’s production requirements even before securing the contract, showing his and the brand’s commitment to the partnership. As a fun fact, this partnership marks a full-circle moment for Rimac, whose first EV project was converting an old E30 into a full EV.

Under the current partnership, Rimac helped BMW integrate cylindrical battery cells into the i7 for the mid-cycle facelift. This achievement pairs the Gen6 technology with a Gen5 module design, delivering a 20% increase in battery energy density. In effect, the reworked technology with Rimac gives the updated i7 an additional 75 miles for a new total of over 452 miles. As a fun fact, this partnership marks a full-circle moment for Rimac.