After more than three months, an electric supercar Concept One was returned to its owner Mate Rimac. Dusty, full of scratches, cat and bird droppings … Rimac says we only see what they were doing under the hood.
Mate Rimac is currently in Dubai. He exclusively said that someone was trying his invention, the electric supercar, placed on the market of the Middle East.
‘We were called to the two ferries – one in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) and one in Dubai. Since the winter months there is no interesting events in Europe, we have decided to participate in fairs and visit Abu Dhabi and Doha (Qatar), where we have already had several potential buyers and investors. Pre whole time we planned and arranged meetings and test drives with customers and investors, “begins his story Rimac.
This is the first car to be manufactured in Croatia and exported to the world.
‘Fair in Riyadh was held mid-February. We are prepared to travel, engage professional carriers and freight forwarders, done all the paperwork and send the car container from the river in mid-January at the time. With considerate to have a lot of experience with transportation and way of working in the Middle Eastern countries, we know that everything can be complicated. The car was on time arrived in Jeddah, a port in Saudi Arabia that left more than a week to resolve duty and temporary importation. Otherwise, the procedure for temporary importation into Saudi Arabia is completely different than in most other countries – do not recognize the ATA Carnet for the temporary admission ‘, explains Mate Rimac.
“Our sales director Jens Polling fruit trees (a former employee of Tesla Motors, responsible for sales in the German-speaking) and the director of public relations could not come. Monika because women in Saudi Arabia can only enter accompanied by a father or husband. Jens is the day of the flight refused a visa. So I finally I traveled to Riyadh in good faith that everything is fine ‘, recounts the Rimac and suggests that things will not go quite so smoothly. And here starts the plot.
Changed the law while the car was on duty and started problems.
‘Basically some law for temporary importation changed much in that week while our car was standing in the customs and some papers as though they were wrong (which we could not know because all the papers that were circulated were in Arabic) and the car is not arrived at the fair. I am 12.02. I’m like a dog, without chickpea, in the midst of Saudi Arabia and near nervous breakdown welcomed its 25th Birthday ‘, describes his despair Rimac.
They went to another fair, when it…
“Despite everything we cancel the rest of the way and we continued on schedule – the truck came to pick up the container in Jeddah to Dubai in the car drove to the next fair. I traveled to Abu Dhabi preparing all about fair trials, etc. But customs will not let container or transit through the country. Require that we leave the country the same way he came in – by boat. Hastily arrange shipping to Dubai to car arrived on time at the fair and at the time when the shipping company wants to load the car customs decides to do a thorough inspection and will not let the container ship ‘, describes the Rimac.
Car Mate Rimac returned damaged (Photo: Face book)
Detailed inspection lasts and lasts, the car does not give
‘OK, now it was clear that we and others have missed the fair but we still have customers who want to try the car and for the third time already angry customers pushing term test drive. A week later comes another ship by container and customs again does not allow loaders – detailed inspection continues, “He recalls Rimac.
It is no coincidence?
‘I will not even try to describe how we were crazy and we all start to try to finally get out of the car. Until that moment, we thought that there was still a chance that this is all a coincidence, but I started to doubt it – the most powerful prototype electric car in the world, standing at customs in Saudi Arabia for 2 months for no reason … ‘, frankly says Rimac.
Joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy
‘Then include our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Katra (hereby want to thank them!) As well as through diplomatic channels contact the customs which is then secured to the car finally let go. The car is 3.16. Left Saudi Arabia to Dubai “says Rimac.
The car was returned dirty, scratched…
“Today we saw it – full of dust, scratches and bird droppings, although he was in a closed trailer and container (but obviously not all the time). With the car was in the electric bike which will soon be released for sale, and we would like to present to potential investors and customers, “says Rimac.
Huge Damage!
‘The result of all this is a big loss – two missed Fair (potentially very successful for us), two secure customer lost (decided not to buy because of the delay test drives), unnecessary high costs, damaged prototype cars and bicycles as well as the nerves of all involved. Not to mention your time…
Collapsed potentially lucrative jobs, offended prominent clients
The biggest problem is the fact that we had two very good quality customer that we have all these irretrievably lost – some might sound funny that someone dropped the purchase date for moving the test ride but the mindset very wealthy people in the Middle East is very specific. Here is deemed to be a great honor to meet all these people. They delayed the travel and meetings only to see the car and the other very disappointed and angry that it finally happened, “says Rimac.
