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Mate Rimac Goes to Facebook to Deny End of Hyundai Partnership: Fake News

Journalism is not science, and it fails more than we would like to admit. Sources help reporters anticipate multiple crucial stories. Until they are confirmed, there’s a risk that the parts change their minds or even that the story was invented, making these sources unreliable. Mate Rimac said on Facebook this was the case with what Automotive News said about the end of his company’s partnership with Hyundai: fake news, in his words.
Mate Rimac said his company's partnership with Hyundai is going strong and calls story about the end fake news 10 photos
Photo: Hyundai
According to Automotive News, partnership between Hyundai and Rimac may have endedHyundai Vision FK ConceptHyundai Vision FK ConceptHyundai Vision FK ConceptHyundai Vision FK ConceptHyundai Fuel CellsHyundai Fuel CellsHyundai Vision FK ConceptMate Rimac said his company's partnership with Hyundai is going strong and calls story about the end fake news
Although Rimac told Automotive News that there were no changes in the projects they were working on together, Hyundai did not comment on the news. That could be taken as confirmation that the sources were correct about the end of the partnership. To deny it once again, Rimac shared an article from Auto Motor Und Sport in his Facebook post.

The German outlet managed to talk to Hyundai, and the Korean automaker denied the story. It also said that both it and Kia kept investing in the Rimac Group, with several projects under discussion. Unfortunately, the company has not published any official denial on its press websites so far. Hyundai may have to be more emphatic if it really wants people to believe the partnership is still going strong.

The Korean company’s strategy seems to be that giving much attention to what Rimac called fake news would make it more believable. The question is that Automotive News has strong credibility, and it generally does not publish something if it is not pretty sure that it is correct. We cannot recall any story published by them that was later denied.

Things get even more complicated if the story makes sense. When Rimac established its partnership with Hyundai, it was an independent Croatian EV maker that collaborated with other companies. The deal with Porsche and Rimac’s merger with Bugatti made it much more challenging to separate Rimac from the Volkswagen Group. Although mainstream carmakers often partner – as Honda and GM did concerning electric cars – they are also very protective of their competitive advantages.

If Hyundai and Rimac announced new projects, that would refute what Automotive News published with more weight than just keeping business as usual. After all, car projects generally take around three years to complete. If the companies disclose one year from now that they decided to part ways, that could still mean that Automotive News sources were correct, even if it was not convenient to talk about that when the story emerged.

The fact is that Rimac and Hyundai deny that the partnership is gone. That said, we’re anxious to learn what they can deliver while working together for the next few years. Automotive News will be even more interested. For these guys, it is more than just another story: it is their chance to prove there was nothing fake about the news they decided to publish. Make a supply contract for the popcorn you will have to eat while waiting for this story to unfold.

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About the author: Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
Gustavo Henrique Ruffo profile photo

Motoring writer since 1998, Gustavo wants to write relevant stories about cars and their shift to a sustainable future.
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