Mate Rimac Says European Carmakers Need Their Own Answer to China

The Bugatti Rimac chief argues that European brands should build on distinctive strengths instead of copying Chinese rivals’ approach to screens, controls and charging.

Source: Headlight Magazine2026-10-111 min read

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Mate Rimac, CEO of Bugatti Rimac, has urged European automakers to compete with Chinese manufacturers by emphasizing their own strengths rather than adopting the same product formula. In a video posted to his personal Instagram account, he framed the message as free advice for an industry that, he said, spends millions of euros on consultants.

Rimac cautioned against following Chinese brands in areas such as large touchscreens, fewer physical buttons and shorter charging times. Instead, he pointed to the cabin of the Bentley Arnage, produced from 1998 to 2009, as an example of qualities he believes newer European cars could draw on: metal air vents, tactile buttons, plush carpeting, genuine wood and robust materials. He acknowledged that such an approach may not suit every buyer, but said European makers should develop a recognizable identity rather than try to make the same kind of car as everyone else.

To illustrate the commercial potential of differentiation, Rimac cited Swiss watches. He said they account for about 5% of the global watch market but capture 90% of its profits. In his view, European automakers face a choice between pursuing that kind of distinctiveness and risking a future with little room to compete; beating Chinese manufacturers by copying their methods, he argued, is unlikely.

This is an original summary compiled and translated from the source below, not a direct translation of it.

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