Austrian police recovered the Chiron after telemetry tracked it towards the Slovenian border. The car was stolen on Wednesday, 28 October, from the Bugatti-Rimac production and technology campus near Zagreb, Croatia. Mate Rimac, Bugatti’s CEO and founder, as well as CEO of Rimac Group, said in social media posts that the car had been taken from the factory. Agence France-Presse reported the Chiron’s base price as €2.4 million, about $2.7 million at the time.
The tracking data showed the car heading towards Slovenia. Rimac set off after it in a Porsche 911, while police in Austria were alerted and given location information by the factory team. An Austrian officer joined a group chat receiving continuous updates. The Chiron crossed Slovenia into Austria and stopped for fuel without paying, before officers intercepted it and arrested the driver.
Rimac said staff had not immediately realised the car was missing; a witness alerted them after seeing an unfamiliar person lead away. Friends and colleagues regularly used vehicles at the site, including a Bugatti Chiron and a Rimac Nevera, so staff could assume someone else had taken them. He said Croatia felt safe enough for cars to be left with their keys inside, even at the factory, which had no fence. Rimac said staff would stop leaving keys in the cars.
Footage from the factory cameras showed a man looking at the Chiron before driving away. Rimac said the detained man claimed he had come to the site seeking work and decided to take the car after seeing its keys inside. Rimac said he would not file a complaint, although the alleged driver still faced action from Austrian and Croatian authorities over theft and offences related to fleeing.
The Chiron was returned with minor damage to its front bumper. RACE’s compact-car repair estimates put some segment C repairs at about €1,000 to €14,000, but no repair cost was given for Rimac’s car.
