Bugatti CEO Mate Rimac Buys A Pre-Owned Volkswagen Golf Mk5 R32 For 'Daily Driving'
We often see successful CEOs adding multi-crore supercars and SUVs to their garages. Breaking such stereotypes, Bugatti CEO Mate Rimac has added a 'cheap, old car' to his garage- a Volkswagen Golf MK5 R32! In 2025, you can source one of these in the US for as low as $7000-$25,000. This CEO, who has an estimated net worth of around $2 billion, now uses it as his daily car!
Mate is the founder of Rimac Automobili and the current CEO of Bugatti. Both brands are known for making high-performance hypercars. Rimac produces the Nevera, the 1,888 hp electric hypercar that is sought after by many. It has its price in the range of $2.2 to $2.5 million. The car can to the 0-100kph sprint in just 1.8 seconds! Bugatti needs no introduction. The French carmaker is known for making expensive and fast cars like the Veyron and the Chiron.
The 37-year-old CEO shared pictures of his Golf MK5 R32 online. He has posted a few videos of the R32 Golf on his Instagram handle. "Yep, I actually love this car!"- reads the caption of one of these videos. The CEO''s Golf has the Deep Blue Pearl paint on it. Back in its day, the performance hatchback used to come in at least five shades. The Blue used to stand out.
In another video, we see Mate Rimac 'swapping cars'. It starts by showing him park his Golf MK5 and get out of it. He closes the door and walks towards a Bugatti parked nearby. He then gets inside and starts the engine.
Why Did Mate Rimac Buy A Golf R32?
The CEO says that the Golf has been his dream car since the age of 19. The purchase thus stands special. The car is registered in his hometown- Zagreb, in Croatia. The CEO is reportedly planning a complete restomod for it. It will likely give the interior a complete overhaul and add more tech and features. Special care will be taken in keeping the original charm intact.
Mate loves the Golf's driving dynamics and character. Even the sound of its 3.2-liter VR6 engine excites him. He is happy with the compact nature of the hatchback and appreciates just how easy it is to drive around in the city and park.
It is becoming a trend these days for hypercar company CEOs to adopt raw, humble, driver-focussed cars as their daily drivers. We've already seen Christian von Koenigsegg buy a 300hp Toyota GR Yaris, and keep a 1992 Mazda Miata.
More About The Mk5 Golf R32
The MK5 Golf R32 went on sale in Europe in September 2005. The 'R32' in its name referred to a performance guise of the hatch. 'R' denotes 'Volkswagen R', the carmaker's performance division. The '32' in this case denotes the engine displacement- '3.2' litres. The Mark 5 R32 was in production till 2009.
The Mk5 R32 featured an updated 3.2-litre VR6 engine. It used to produce 250 hp and 320 Nm and came with a Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG) and a manual box. The automatic could do the 0-100 kph sprint in just 6.2 seconds. The hatchback had a top speed of 250 kph (155 mph). The manual version took 6.5 seconds for the same. It was faster than the Mk4. The US debut happened in August 2007, when limited numbers went on sale.