Leaving your car keys in the car is not the best idea, especially when it costs several million, and Mate Rimac learned this the hard way after a company employee saw the Croatian's Chiron leaving the company parking lot at high speed. Colleagues initially checked via group chat whether the car was taken for a business trip. It soon became clear that no employee was behind the wheel, and Rimac notified the police, but did not wait for the development of the case. He got into a nearby Porsche 911 with a full tank and set off after the stolen car.
The thief already had an approximately one-hour lead and was heading towards Slovenia. The tracking was possible thanks to the Chiron's telemetry — a system that transmits real-time data on location, speed, fuel level and other indicators. Rimac and his team shared the information with the police in the general chat. The plan was to stop the car before it left Croatia, but the Chiron reached Austria. When the fuel began to run low, the team expected the thief to stop at a gas station. According to Rimac, he filled up about half the tank, but continued on his way without paying for the fuel.
The Austrian police eventually intercepted the Bugatti after one of the employees was included in the group chat and received constant data on the car's location, which helped track it. Rimac said that he would not press charges against the man because he felt sorry for him, but that does not automatically mean that the case will not have consequences for the detained person.
The car was returned with minor damage to the front bumper. The case has also changed the company's security policies. Rimac has said that keys will no longer be left in cars. He warned anyone who would attempt such a journey: “We have all the data and you can’t do anything to the car without us.” Security camera footage shows the suspect first smoking a cigarette and walking around the building before discovering the keys left in the Chiron. He then drove off in the car, unaware that the telemetry would allow his movements to be tracked across several countries.