It seems rising inflation and economic concerns aren’t slowing the spending habits of the ultra-wealthy in the United States. At least not according to Bugatti Rimac CEO Mate Rimac.
“We don’t see any slowdown at the moment, quite the opposite,” Rimac said. “With Bugatti, we are sold out well into 2025. So even if the (recession) is a few years, we will come out even stronger out of it.”
To prove this point, Bugatti’s new $5 million Mistral roadster, unveiled this past Friday during Monterey Car Week in California, already sold out of all 99 models set to be produced. The vehicle features a 1,577-horsepower, quad-turbo W16 engine and is being touted as the last of the non-electric Bugatti’s. The company also produces supercars under the Rimac brand, including the $2.1 million Rimac Nevera, an all-electric supercar with 1,900-horsepower. The electric vehicle is seeing strong demand from U.S. buyers, just as the Mistral did.
Rimac Technology is driving the auto group’s growth with high-performance battery and EV technology. Buyers include Porsche, Aston Martin, Hyundai, and others. The division is also working on a self-driving “robotaxi” that won’t be unveiled until 2024 or later.
Rimac believes the shortage of the raw materials needed for EVs will lead to a higher interest in the use of shared, self-driving vehicles over mass production as a way to meet demand over the coming years.
“The No. 1 constraint is having enough materials and supply chain to convert the fleet that we have globally,” Rimac said. “The majority of people, they don’t necessarily really want to own a car if there is a more convenient, safe option that gets you from point A to point B.”
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