Verne, in collaboration with VGP, is starting the construction of a factory for large-scale production of autonomous electric vehicles. The factory will be located in Zagreb, in Lučko, within the VGP Park Zagreb, covering an area of 28,500 square meters. All Verne vehicles will be produced in Croatia and exported from here to the world.
Rimac’s company Verne, which recently presented its innovative ecosystem for urban autonomous mobility, is embarking on the construction of a facility that has not been seen before in Croatia, as stated by the company. Within the new business park of 8 hectares in Lučko – VGP Park Zagreb, a factory for large-scale production of autonomous electric vehicles will be located on 28,500 square meters. The production facility will be built for Verne by the Belgian company VGP, which marks its first investment in Croatia. VGP is a European provider of high-quality logistics properties and light industrial real estate.
– We have found the ideal location and the right partner for the construction of our first production facility for autonomous vehicles in Zagreb. All Verne vehicles will be produced here. Vehicles for all markets will be manufactured in Croatia, giving our country a key role in the modern automotive industry. Initially, several hundred vehicles will be produced, and after that, the factory will be able to produce up to 10,000 vehicles annually. The production volume will increase over time, following the dynamics of the project. The construction of this production facility for large-scale production represents a crucial step for our project, as well as for the entire country. We will create numerous quality jobs and thus attract and retain the workforce in Croatia, emphasizes Marko Pejković, CEO of Verne.
Start of operations in 2026.
The factory will utilize advanced technology for the production, assembly, and testing of Verne autonomous vehicles. Its realization will bring numerous benefits to Croatia and represents significant progress towards digital and green technologies.
– It is a great honor for us to contribute to this revolutionary project by building new facilities for development and production within our VGP Park Zagreb. The development of this technologically advanced facility reflects our commitment to innovation, sustainability, and the reindustrialization of Europe. With our expert technical experience, we look forward to contributing to the realization of a high-quality factory for Verne, thus opening up to smart and sustainable mobility, stated Jan Van Geet, CEO of VGP.
Preparations for construction have already begun, and the start of construction work is expected at the end of this summer. The factory will be completed and equipped during 2025, while operations will commence in early 2026.
VGP is a pan-European company engaged in construction and management and is the owner of properties in the field of logistics and high-quality semi-industrial production. The VGP company applies a fully integrated business model, leveraging capacity and long-standing expertise throughout the entire value chain. Founded in 1998 in Belgium as a family company focused on real estate development projects in the Czech Republic, it now employs around 368 permanent staff in 17 European countries.
Problems at the presentation
Let us recall that Rimac has already missed several deadlines, and a few days ago he held a presentation where he wanted to showcase how his autonomous robotaxis work; however, everything did not go as planned. Namely, the presentation did not go exactly as Rimac envisioned, as the robotaxi ignored his commands and did not reach him. Even the person in the background with a small joystick, who was supposed to remotely bring the robotaxi to the stage, could not help. After denying that the robotaxi was still under remote control, a few days later, they admitted and expressed regret.
However, this oversight did not escape Prime Minister Plenković, who took the opportunity to praise Mate.
– Mate, whom we all follow, as a young innovator has faced difficult and demanding situations. There was skepticism; innovators are ahead of their time and are left to fend for themselves, and that is why they experience this, said the Prime Minister, reminding that the Government allocated as much as 180 million euros from the NPOO for this project.
Rimac remains silent
Although Mate Rimac announced during the unsuccessful presentation of the robotaxi that contracts had been signed with 11 cities where his robotaxis should operate, we did not receive a response from Lider regarding which cities are involved.
Namely, Rimac stated that his company has already signed contracts with 11 cities in the EU, the UK, and the Middle East and that negotiations are ongoing with another 30 cities. The vehicles are already being tested in the city, and when they begin their first rides, there should be several hundred of them just in Zagreb.
Rimac’s words somehow went ‘under the radar,’ overshadowed by the fact that the robotaxi did not start at his command and that it was supposed to be activated by a joystick operated by a person hidden behind the stage. However, the already signed contracts with 11 cities and potential contracts with another 30 should also attract, at the very least, national attention. Or perhaps this information remained unimportant to the public because of doubts about its veracity, as when we simply wave our hand and say ‘oh, let it go, empty stories.’
With whom are the contracts signed?
Therefore, on Thursday, June 27, we sent an inquiry to Rimac’s company, specifically to Marta Longin, whom we asked to answer a few questions. We inquired about which cities are involved and with whom exactly the contracts were signed. We also sought further clarification – namely, when Rimac’s company says that contracts have been signed with cities, do they mean the city administrations, or whom? Because it is indeed a bit strange to negotiate with cities as if they are the owners of taxi companies. And even if they are the owners of taxi companies, why would contracts be signed with cities (administrations) when those companies (if they exist) presumably have their own management?!
Additionally, we were interested in whether the operation of robotaxis is legally regulated in those countries, in which cities the vehicles are being tested, with whom the contract was signed in Zagreb, and which specific cities (the 30) are being negotiated with. The deadline for a response was the next day, June 28 (Friday), considering that Rimac was given enough time for a response that does not need to be long, and those in the know have all that information.
There was no response, so we decided to wait a few more days. Today is July 3, there is still no response, nor any announcement that it will arrive, so, if nothing else, it is clear that something is amiss with those contracts, or with Mate Rimac’s statement. Because if it is true that contracts have been signed with 11 world cities, it makes no sense not to respond to the questions posed. Moreover, even though I am not a marketing expert, if my company signed a contract with just one world city, I would announce it far and wide.
On the other hand, it should not be forgotten that in May of last year, the European Commission approved Croatian state aid amounting to 179.5 million euros for this project. This is a direct non-repayable grant that covers about 45 percent of eligible costs. If the project proves to be very successful and generates additional revenue, the recipient will return part of the received aid to the state. This is a broader urban mobility project in Zagreb that will allow users to combine multiple modes of transport through a single platform. If successful, the model could be expanded to other EU cities.
Thus, Rimac has received our money for the development of robotaxis and has committed to meet deadlines for specific stages in the development of that vehicle, so it is logical that we have the right to know what is happening with that project, or how our money has been spent. Rimac cannot even invoke the confidentiality of the contract due to the other signatory party, as it concerns cities that are public institutions that are also obliged to respond to public inquiries. Perhaps this is also the reason for Rimac’s and his associates’ silence on our inquiry, as they can control the flow of information to the public from their company, but they would not be able to do so when it comes to cities. Because 11 cities could respond to our inquiry completely differently from what was said in Kerestinec.
Simple questions
The missed deadlines for the completion of the Verne project, the trickling information about the project’s progress, and now the silence on our questions about exactly who the 11 contracts were signed with only further arouse public suspicion that this project, to put it mildly, has fallen into significant difficulties and that we must ask ourselves whether we have invested our 179.5 million euros wisely.
Rimac (who recently made an interesting unusual claim in the vein of the famous Grunf from Alan Ford that doing business with a profit is for losers) and his associates will again say that we have no idea, that we are meddling in an area that is unknown to us, perhaps they will say that we are against a successful businessman… But we have asked really simple questions that do not require special knowledge or intelligence, and we have hit a wall of silence. What would it be like if we were experts in the field of robotaxis?!
Perhaps it would be good for Rimac’s companies to improve communication with the media (not just the selected ones) and to start responding to journalistic inquiries from everyone (and not just selected media), which is a prerequisite for the public to better understand his efforts in developing his project. The next condition is that truthful answers are given to journalistic inquiries.
