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Rimac's CEO has revealed that its $2 million electric hypercar, the Nevera, isn't selling too well. The automaker only planned to build 150 of the 1,888-hp quad-motor supercars, but in the three years since its launch, only 50 have been sold to wealthy buyers. Why is that? The one-percenters want their rides to have an analog feel, which means combustion reigns supreme over electricity.
According to Autocar, Mate Rimac spoke at the Financial Times Future of the Car conference in London, where he said that waning demand for EVs has extended as far as vehicles with seven-figure price tags. Despite a wide variety of mainstream electric vehicles hitting the market in recent years, customer interest is weakening, and Rimac says that incentives and regulations put in place by the government to encourage EV ownership are to blame for the slow sales––and it applies to the Nevera just as it does for ordinary EVs.
"We started to develop Nevera in 2016/2017, when electric was cool," Rimac said, according to Autocar. "[But now] we notice that as electrification is becoming mainstream, people at the top end of the sector want to differentiate themselves."
He compared this to the popularity of analog watches among the rich as opposed to the more advanced digital watches worn by the general public. "An Apple Watch can do everything better. It can do 1000 more things, it’s a lot more precise, it can measure your heart rate. But nobody would pay $200,000 for an Apple Watch."
Rimac doesn't anticipate that electric hypercars will experience a sudden surge in popularity anytime soon, which means the automaker is unlikely to produce a battery-powered successor to the Nevera. Instead, the automaker will shift its focus to the launch of Bugatti's upcoming Chiron replacement, which will be powered by a naturally-aspirated V16 engine and is more likely to appeal to the analog tastes of the wealthy.
Since Rimac's electric bits won't be found anywhere within its Bugatti counterparts, the company has recently secured a deal with BMW to supply battery packs for the German brand's Neue Klasse EVs. After the other 100 Nevera hypercars find buyers, this is likely where the majority of Rimac's resources will go.
Image Credits: Rimac
Report
May 26, 2024
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Rimac Nevera Is A Sales Failure Because The One-Percenters Want ICE
Only 150 Neveras are to be built, but demand is so low the automaker has only sold 50.
Rimac's CEO has revealed that its $2 million electric hypercar, the Nevera, isn't selling too well. The automaker only planned to build 150 of the 1,888-hp quad-motor supercars, but in the three years since its launch, only 50 have been sold to wealthy buyers. Why is that? The one-percenters want their rides to have an analog feel, which means combustion reigns supreme over electricity.
According to Autocar, Mate Rimac spoke at the Financial Times Future of the Car conference in London, where he said that waning demand for EVs has extended as far as vehicles with seven-figure price tags. Despite a wide variety of mainstream electric vehicles hitting the market in recent years, customer interest is weakening, and Rimac says that incentives and regulations put in place by the government to encourage EV ownership are to blame for the slow sales––and it applies to the Nevera just as it does for ordinary EVs.
"We started to develop Nevera in 2016/2017, when electric was cool," Rimac said, according to Autocar. "[But now] we notice that as electrification is becoming mainstream, people at the top end of the sector want to differentiate themselves."
He compared this to the popularity of analog watches among the rich as opposed to the more advanced digital watches worn by the general public. "An Apple Watch can do everything better. It can do 1000 more things, it’s a lot more precise, it can measure your heart rate. But nobody would pay $200,000 for an Apple Watch."
Rimac doesn't anticipate that electric hypercars will experience a sudden surge in popularity anytime soon, which means the automaker is unlikely to produce a battery-powered successor to the Nevera. Instead, the automaker will shift its focus to the launch of Bugatti's upcoming Chiron replacement, which will be powered by a naturally-aspirated V16 engine and is more likely to appeal to the analog tastes of the wealthy.
Since Rimac's electric bits won't be found anywhere within its Bugatti counterparts, the company has recently secured a deal with BMW to supply battery packs for the German brand's Neue Klasse EVs. After the other 100 Nevera hypercars find buyers, this is likely where the majority of Rimac's resources will go.
Image Credits: Rimac
