(Bloomberg) -- Mate Rimac, the Porsche-backed, Bugatti-owning maker of electric hypercars and components, has taken the wraps off yet another project: a two-seat autonomous taxi he wants to put on public roads in 2026.

The compact concept vehicle Rimac Group is unveiling Wednesday in Zagreb has no pedals, no steering wheel, and sliding doors designed to not obstruct traffic during pick-ups and drop-offs on city streets. Rimac boasts that the two-seat vehicle will offer more space than a Rolls-Royce to stretch one’s legs.

Rimac has dubbed his urban mobility service Verne, named after the bestselling adventure novelist Jules Verne. It’s slated to launch in the company’s hometown of Zagreb, Croatia, in 2026, followed by cities in the UK, Germany and Middle East. The company has been cooperating the last several years with Mobileye Global Inc. and will use the software provider’s autonomous-driving platform and set of cameras, radar and lidar system. 

The Rimac Group’s investors include Porsche, SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Its 36-year-old founder took majority control of Bugatti in 2021 and unveiled a new €3.8 million ($4.1 million) model just last week called the Tourbillon that will succeed the 16-cylinder Chiron. In pairing a V-16 engine with three electric motors, the Tourbillion will accelerate from zero to 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph) in two seconds.

Rimac timed its unveiling ahead of Tesla Inc. showing a dedicated robotaxi in August. Mate Rimac has often drawn comparisons to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and the two have weighed in on one another’s performance cars multiple times the last couple years on social media. The two were seated next to one another at a dinner in Manhattan in March 2022.

“This was fun… And intense,” Rimac wrote afterward on Facebook.

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