BMW and Rimac Technology are expanding their partnership beyond the already revealed 2027 i7, with two additional cars in the pipeline. Mate Rimac confirmed the news in an interview with Automotive News, though he stopped short of revealing which models will use the Croatian company’s technology.
“BMW is a big partner, and we have a great partnership,” Rimac said. “We jointly announced that we are launching the first car with our joint technology, which is the BMW i7. There are two more cars in the pipeline that we are doing, but I can’t provide additional details yet.”
Indeed, the electric 7 Series facelift is the first production model to use the jointly developed technology, putting Rimac Technology in the supply chain for one of BMW’s flagship luxury cars. The company has demonstrated that it can meet the German automaker’s demanding requirements for performance, quality, production capacity, and cost.
Rimac Had To Prove It Could Beat The Competition
Rimac explained that winning BMW’s business took more than three years of development work. As is customary in the automotive industry, the partnership evolved through several stages, with suppliers competing during development before BMW made its final decision on series production. BMW’s premium positioning doesn’t mean it can afford to pay more for components, particularly batteries, where competition from Chinese manufacturers is intense.
In fact, Rimac made a bold move before securing a production contract. When BMW representatives visited the company’s campus during its early construction phase, the Croatian entrepreneur showed them where their production line would be installed, even though the deal hadn’t been finalized. He was already building the facility around BMW’s requirements, betting that the partnership would eventually come together.
“They saw we were really committed,” Rimac told Automotive News, explaining that the investment demonstrated his company’s determination to meet BMW’s production schedule. That willingness to commit resources before receiving a guaranteed order helped convince Munich that Rimac Technology could deliver when it mattered.
Rimac Helped BMW Put Cylindrical Battery Cells In The i7 Facelift
As a refresher, Rimac helped BMW integrate cylindrical battery cells into the i7 for the full-size electric sedan’s mid-cycle facelift. This effectively pairs Gen6 cell technology with a Gen5 module design, delivering a 20% increase in energy density.
With usable energy capacity up more than 10% to 112.5 kWh, the i7 60 xDrive’s range has jumped by about 75 miles (120 kilometers) over the pre-LCI model, reaching more than 452 miles (727 kilometers). The maximum DC charging rate has also increased from 195 to 250 kilowatts, allowing the battery to charge from 10% to 80% in 28 minutes.
What Comes Next? Possibly The i5 Facelift
Looking ahead, the two additional vehicles remain a mystery. Rimac didn’t specify whether they’ll be fully electric models or plug-in hybrids. However, we previously reported that the partnership could bring battery upgrades to the facelifted i5, expected to debut in 2027. Like its bigger brother, the electric sedan will retain the CLAR platform and combine Gen5 and Gen6 technology for greater range and faster charging.
As for the other model, your guess is as good as ours.
Source: Automotive News Europe (subscription required)
First published by https://www.bmwblog.com
