Rimac Automobili has announced that it is opening a research and development centre in the UK this year.

Based at Warwick Enterprise Park, 30 people will be employed at the facility by the end of 2021. However, Rimac said it could “expand significantly in the years to come” as the company progresses its product lines.

The site will collaborate with Rimac’s Croatian headquarters, enabling the firm to take advantage of British engineers, whom Rimac founder and CEO Mate Rimac regards as among the best in the world.

The expansion is  part of the build-up to Rimac’s launch of its second electric hypercar, the C_Two, which the innovative firm will deliver to the UK through a new £40 million HR Owen ‘experience centre’ in Hatfield, Hertfordshire.

The Croatian firm is considered a world-leader in electric vehicle technology and is currently based in Zagreb, but wants to tap into the UK’s ‘great expertise’ in the car industry.

Mate Rimac, the firm’s founder and CEO, said: “While Croatia will always be our home, we have decided to take the opportunity to gather a small team in the UK, where the automotive industry has a long history and great expertise.

“We are of the strong opinion that British engineers are world-class in the field of electrification and future of mobility. While we are starting with a small office, we might expand significantly in the years to come, working on Rimac’s future projects, while closely collaborating with our team of engineers, designers and technicians back in Croatia.”

The announcement came during a visit from UK Minister of State for Trade Policy, Greg Hands, who is currently on a working trip to Croatia and Slovenia.

Rimac already has close ties to the UK automotive industry, having provided electric vehicle technology to brands such as Aston Martin and Jaguar Land Rover.

Soon the firm will reveal the production version of the C_Two, its electric hypercar. Limited to just 150 units, it will have a top speed of 258mph and a 0-60mph time of under two seconds.