Bugatti CEO Mate Rimac's Chiron was stolen from the company campus in Croatia after he left the keys inside. Austrian police caught the thief after a chase.
Bugatti CEO Mate Rimac has revealed how his prized Bugatti Chiron was stolen from the company's campus in Croatia after he left its keys inside, only for the car to be recovered after a dramatic pursuit that ended with Austrian police catching the thief.
In a video shared on social media, Rimac addressed reports about the theft, confirming that the luxury sports car had indeed been stolen the previous day. He also shared that he tracked the vehicle using its location data and followed its movements as the thief drove across the border into Austria.
Rimac had routinely left the keys inside his Chiron and several other cars because employees at the company's campus often needed to move the vehicles or use them for testing. He said the practice had never caused a problem until now.
Explaining how the theft went unnoticed initially, Rimac said the campus was designed to be an open and welcoming space, without fences or conventional barriers. Although access to the buildings requires an entry card, the surrounding campus remains open.
"We wouldn't have even noticed. We thought probably this guy has it or that guy has it," he said, explaining that several employees regularly used his car. The theft came to light after someone told staff they had seen an unfamiliar person driving away with the Chiron.
After realising the car was missing, Rimac contacted the police and checked its location data. He said the vehicle was heading towards Slovenia, and he began following its movements in the hope the thief would be caught before crossing into another country. However, the driver managed to reach Austria.
The car was running low on fuel, Rimac said, adding that the thief had stopped to refuel before Austrian police eventually caught him. He praised the Austrian police for their response and said the authorities did a fantastic job recovering the vehicle.
Rimac later met the suspect at a police station, where he learnt the man was a Croatian local in his mid-thirties with a history of trouble. The man told him he had visited the company's premises looking for a job, spotted the Chiron with its keys inside and decided to drive away.
The car sustained some damage during the incident, but Rimac said it would be repaired. He also said he did not intend to press charges, adding that the seriousness and high value of the stolen vehicle meant the suspect would face prosecution.
Rimac said he remained proud of Croatia's safety but acknowledged that leaving car keys unattended was a mistake he would not repeat. "Don't try your luck. It will not happen again," he said, adding that employees would no longer leave keys inside cars around the factory.
He concluded the video by thanking the police, particularly the Austrian authorities, and calling the incident a story the company would remember.
