The past few weeks have showcased just how important Hyundai's investment in Rimac Automobili actually is, and not just in an economic sense. Can the Croatian Government manage to match his advanced level of thinking?
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Vecernji list writes on the 12th of November, 2019, Germany's Angela Merkel has set out to set up a million electric car refuelling stations across Germany by 2030, by 2022 there should be 50,000 of them, which will cost three and a half billion euros in total. This is already a serious increase given that there are now 21,000 such locations across Germany.
In addition, new subsidies from the German Government for electric cars were introduced, all after the German chancellor attended the presentation of Volkswagen's ID.3, a fully electric car with aspirations to replace even the likes of the Golf one day. The idea clearly left an impression on the most powerful woman in Europe, and she made sure the measures to get things moving were in place.
Mate Rimac, known for being far more forward thinking than the Croatian Government, was absolutely right in investing heavily in electric vehicles, and especially on a regular basis, pointing out that his company was primarily concerned with technology, and only then does concern for cars follow.
''The car industry is changing like never before. Now it has much more potential and it's a great opportunity for Croatia. We don't exist today because we know how to make lights or doors well, that's been being done for a hundred years now, but because we started something that was new even to them at the time,'' Rimac told Prime Minister Andrej Plenković during his visit to his company in Sveta Nedelja this summer. The visit was, quite shockingly, the very first Plenković had ever made to the factory.
"I remember very well the enthusiasm in Croatia last year caused by the success at the World Cup. The automotive industry needs to get just that kind of attention. We firmly believe in Mate Rimac, his ideas and his technology. We can provide our knowledge and experience in this regard, but it just isn't going to be enough without the Croatian Government's support. Much more is needed, especially when it comes to education, such as forming projects that will allow the educated to stay here,'' said Lutz Meschke, Porsche's high-ranking manager.
The meeting with Plenković came after big news which regarded the investment of an enormous 80 million euros, or 600 million kuna, from Hyundai into Rimac Automobili.
"Rimac Automobili is an innovative company with outstanding performance in high-performance electric vehicles," said Euisun Chung, executive vice president of the Hyundai Motor Group.
''Their startup roots and extensive experience in working with car makers combined with technological strength make Rimac Automobili an ideal partner for us. We're looking forward to working with Rimac on our path to clean mobility,'' Chung said.
The information provided alongside the investment stated that Hyundai Motors wants to accelerate its transition to clean mobility and position itself as a global leader in driving this change in the industry. One of the key measures to achieve this is electrification, and precisely along those lines - they plan to market 44 electrified car models by 2025.
Having partnered with a number of major global car companies, this was the final confirmation of the good direction Rimac Automobili is heading in. This process involves not only a Croatian company, however, but Croatia as a country, and many steps need to be taken.
''At the June meeting, we presented very specific measures that Croatia needs to take to make it attractive for such investments. The meeting was attended by the leading people of Porsche (a member of the VW Group) and Hyundai. I'm pleased that how much such an investment would mean for Croatia has been recognised, and I hope that the government will use the analyis and suggestions we've made and the contacts we've established to attract such investments. If there is any way we can help in this process, we're of course available. We have attracted more than 150 million euros in foreign investment and we're working with all the major players in this area,'' Rimac told Vecernji list.
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