From The Drive · Jerry Perez · · 1m
Bugatti Boss Calls for Less Screens, More Luxury
Bugatti CEO urges European carmakers to abandon screens and focus on luxury instead of China.
In brief
Bugatti CEO urges European carmakers to abandon screens and focus on luxury instead of China. Bugatti's president tells Euro car brands to prioritize high-end materials over screens and mass-market appeal to avoid Chinese competition. Originally reported by The Drive.
Bugatti President's Warning
Mate Rimac, president of Bugatti, warns European carmakers about their design trends and technology choices.
“The European automotive industry is in trouble, and now they’re running around paying tens of millions or hundreds of millions to consultants to get them out of it.”
What Not to Do
Rimac advises against copying Chinese trends like big screens, fewer buttons, and faster recharge times.
“What you should not do is try to do what everyone else is doing and what the Chinese are very hard to beat at; the biggest screens, less buttons, faster recharge times.”
What to Do
Rimac recommends using real leather and high-quality materials instead of digital interfaces.
“Take leather, real materials, real stuff. Stuff like this.”
The Luxury Niche
Rimac compares European luxury to Swiss watchmaking, where 5% of the market generates 90% of profits.
“They don’t make a watch for everyone, but that’s where most of the profit is. They just make 5% of the world’s watches, but 90% of the profits in watchmaking.”
The Chinese Challenge
Rimac warns that European carmakers will struggle to compete with Chinese brands on similar trends.
“And it’s either this or, I think, there won’t be a future, because it will be very hard to compete with the Chinese doing the same they are trying to do.”
Realistic Challenge
Critics note that European brands cannot rely solely on high-end models like the S-Class or Cayenne.
“A company like Mercedes can’t just live on S-Class sales, and neither can BMW, Audi, etc.”
In short
Bugatti's president tells Euro car brands to prioritize high-end materials over screens and mass-market appeal to avoid Chinese competition.
