The Rimac Nevera’s Baby Brother Is Nothing Like We Imagined

Key Takeaways

• Verne is a new autonomous mobility company founded by Mate Rimac.
• The Verne hatchback has only 2 seats but accommodates 90% of ride-hailing trips with superior interior comfort.
• Verne app will launch in Zagreb, then expand to Europe and the Middle East, with no immediate plans for the US.

From the minds of Mate Rimac and two of his close friends and colleagues, Marko Pejković and Adriano Mudri, we have a new electric hatchback in the world. But this is no ordinary hatchback. Created by Verne, you cannot buy or even drive this particular vehicle. Described as an “urban autonomous mobility” company, Verne is named after author Jules Verne, in honor of the way he inspired humanity to reach its potential through his works of fiction. Verne’s goal is not to create next-level hypercar’s like the new Bugatti Tourbillon or Rimac Nevera, but rather to progress society through access to mobility for all, without the cost of ownership.

A Rimac Hatchback For The People

It’s not quite the electric Rimac hot hatch Mate suggested he’d build back on April Fool’s Day, but it is a bespoke product developed on a new platform. Engineered purely for autonomous driving, it leverages the Mobileye Drive autonomous vehicle platform and is meant to be as comfortable and safe as possible without any compromise made by adapting an existing car (like GM’s Cruise using the Bolt EV or Waymo using the Jaguar I-Pace).

The odd-looking hatchback isn’t the strangest robotaxi we’ve seen, but it does have something strange about it: there are only two seats. According to Mudri, Verne’s Chief Design Officer (and the man who penned the Nevera), data shows that 90% of ride-hailing trips are utilized by only one or two people. The compact Verne hatchback can therefore accommodate 90% of all trips but provide more space than other robotaxis, all in the same footprint as a typical compact hatchback like the Honda Civic.

You won’t find claims of horsepower outputs of 0-60 mph times here, only details of camera, radar, and LiDAR systems integrated into the design from the start. The only element typical to regular car design here is the trunk, because people will always have stuff to carry.

Lounge-Like Interior Comfort

Sliding doors mean easy access without a door opening into traffic, and once inside, the two seats recline to reveal what Mudri says is “more space than a Rolls-Royce to relax and spend your time.” Because it’s built to be autonomous from the ground up, there’s no steering wheel (although a physical control allows you to stop the ride at any time), and occupants have a 43-inch display paired with 17 speakers to turn the trip into a mobile office or cinema. Additionally, Verne promises several features:

• Preconditioned cabins, set on the Verne app to make sure you’re comfortable from the moment you arrive.
• A controllable ambiance with sound and light profiles to match your mood.
• Seats with five different levels of comfort for all moods.
• A rounded sunroof called the Halo ring for natural light and a new view of city travel.

How And When Can I Use It?

The Verne app lets you summon a ride, track it in real time, and personalize the experience, but you can’t use it in America yet. Verne will roll out in Zagreb, Croatia, to start, which will also be the location of its production facility. Thereafter, a European roll-out is planned before expanding to the Middle East. Agreements are in place for 11 cities and negotiations for a further 30 are underway. The US is not on the list at present, and given the troubles robotaxi services have faced locally, it’s uncertain how long it will take for an American launch.

One thing is for sure: Mate Rimac has bigger plans than just hypercars, and his influence will be far-reaching. We’ve been hearing about Tesla robotaxis for years with nothing of substance emerging from those promises (the latest is a reveal this year). If Verne launches successfully, Tesla will be yet another automaker Rimac will prove he can go toe-to-toe with.