Bugatti CEO Mate Rimac believes the supercar world is heading in an unexpected direction. As mainstream cars rapidly adapt to electrification, the very top end of the market could move closer to old-school mechanical engineering and craftsmanship.
Rimac compares the trend with luxury watches. Smartwatches dominate everyday life, but wealthy buyers still spend enormous sums on mechanical Swiss watches because they value craftsmanship, exclusivity and emotion rather than outright functionality.
He believes something similar is happening with supercars. While electric power will dominate the mainstream market, wealthy enthusiasts may continue demanding combustion engines for their sound, character and mechanical involvement.
Buyers are spending heavily on personalisation, too, with the average customer reportedly adding another $600,000 to $700,000 for bespoke finishes and details. That appetite for individuality is also driving Bugatti’s one-off creations. And at this level, a supercar is becoming less about technology and more about owning something genuinely special.
Source: CNBC
Mechanical Watches also exist in the Non- luxury space. So he is correct but also wrong. If his analogy is true the gas powered sports cars are going to be a Niche item. To some degree that is probably true. But it won’t be only sports cars. It will also be in Trucks and SUV. There will always be a market to or NON electric vehicles for a variety of reasons. Just like the quartz movement almost killed the mechanical watch. I do think it’s fair to believe that the electric movement is putting a big hurting on the gas only vehicle. A good example is the new RAV4 hybrid. Extremely popular, faster and more efficient than my WRX. Just like a mechanical watch that doesn’t tell time as well as a basic quartz watch, my WRX is less efficient, not as fast as the new RAV4 hybrid. Yet for some reason I still want my WRX.
Most swiss watches now have cheap easy fail chinese parts…you going down the same path?
Normal Swiss watches that use the ETA movement which are 100% Swiss. If you are talking about name brand watches like Rolex, Breitling, and others, yeah I wouldn’t be surprised they use a Chinese parts. Patek Philippe, Zenith, IWC, those are 100% Swiss. Now having said that If they are entering “Swiss watch phase,” does that means their are entering the phase where they are just starting, as in they are gonna have failures before they have the final product? Or, does it mean they are getting to a phase where the car has a reliable engine? Because the W-16 engine (2 W-8 engines put together) for the pass 15 year has been the same and well, “if it not broken, don’t fix it” mindset. Even though more companies are expanding their arsenal to have more cars, Bugatti comes out with one car per year. Other car companies are pushing out multiple cars with different engines per year (like Swiss watches brands put out multiple cars). Bugatti isn’t one of them. And well, Bugatti cars prove that some people think you have 1500 HP, nothing can beat it. I’ve seen V-8s that are faster, and more reliable than the Bugatti’s W-16. That “Swiss watch phase” is poor choice of words. “Let’s do everything we can with the body, but still have that same W-16 we had since the first one.” Just tweaked the engine. Took ’em nearly 15 years just to find 500 more HP. There are V-12 naturally aspirated that make 1000 HP. And it takes another 4 extra cylinders for VW to do the same. That engine should put out more HP for what it is, but then again that’s asking too much for VW. VW is tremendously overrated. When VW comes out with a car that can do what the 1500 HP can do with far less HP and a smaller engine (at least a V-12, V-8 is surprisingly) then let’s talk. Until then, y’all keep paying a million for a VW. I’m ok over here with Mercedes AMG, or Corvette Z06, or another company that is worth the money.
Btw, I didn’t mention the fact that Bugatti has 4 turbos too. From the beginning (like 15 years ago when they first came out with 1000 hp car), it has 4 turbos and still has 4 turbos. We got V8 and V12 that can do 1000HP Naturally aspirated. And they need 4 turbos to get to 1500hp. Its Sad really, a company that has potential of doing more, but settles for less. Now, if Bugatti made that W16 engine a Naturally Aspirated engine and puts out 1500 hp, then I’d be impressed. At least the design the new one doesn’t sux as much as the other ones
Wow nice car
What is he talking about law maker’s are trying to pass every law they can to make it electric only by a certain date eventually all gas’s cars will be illegal can’t have a niche when there isn’t one left to be in then again just like rich people to buy shit they can never use and call it collectors items.