Bugatti CEO Mate Rimac’s reported answer to Chinese competition is for European carmakers to stop copying rivals’ strengths in giant screens, button reduction and charging speed—and compete instead through distinctive products, craftsmanship and carefully chosen niches. It is a strategic opinion, not an agreed European industry plan.
What Mate Rimac says European carmakers should do
Rimac’s argument, reported by Carscoops and transcribed at greater length by The Drive, is that European manufacturers should not spend heavily trying to match Chinese automakers on the features where they are already difficult to beat. The Drive’s transcription attributes this advice to Rimac:
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“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. Don’t do that.”
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Instead, he says, European firms should build around qualities that make their products recognizably different: real materials, tactile controls and a focused identity. The Drive transcribes his recommendation as: “Need to find our niche, like the Swiss found with watchmaking.” These are quotations from The Drive’s transcription of Rimac’s speech, not an independently verified transcript of the original video.
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What “find our niche” means
Rimac’s Swiss-watch comparison is about competing for value through specialization, rather than trying to make the most broadly appealing version of the same product. In cars, that could mean a clear design character, unusually considered materials and controls, or a particular kind of ownership experience—not simply adding expensive trim without a reason for buyers to care.
Carscoops uses the interior of a vintage Bentley Arnage to illustrate the qualities Rimac praises: leather and wood, physical switches, substantial-looking vents and deep-pile carpet. The Arnage was produced from 1998 to 2009, according to Carscoops. The example is a reference point for tactile luxury, not a claim that every European car should become a luxury model.
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The Drive’s transcription also attributes a numerical comparison to Rimac: “They just make 5% of the world’s watches, but 90% of the profits in watchmaking.” That figure should be understood as a claim made in his speech; the cited reporting does not supply an independent industry dataset to verify it.
Why this is not a complete answer to the Chinese challenge
Distinctiveness can help a car stand out, but it does not by itself solve the cost, technology and scale pressures facing European manufacturers. An August 2026 EUobserver interview with automotive adviser Petr Knap discusses Chinese competition alongside high German manufacturing costs, governance and business-model problems, and the transition to electric vehicles. Knap estimates that manufacturing a car in Germany costs around 30–45% more than in China; this is his estimate, not an official or independently validated figure.
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Market figures underline the competitive pressure, while needing careful qualification. Euronews, citing ACEA and S&P Global Mobility, reported that China-manufactured cars represented 6% of EU sales in the first half of 2025, compared with 5% in the same period of 2024. Euronews also reported, citing the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, that China’s global auto exports rose 21% in 2025.
Rimac’s proposal addresses product positioning: do not imitate what competitors already do well; offer something buyers value for different reasons. It does not establish that European carmakers can ignore charging, software, production costs or affordability. Nor do the cited sources show that manufacturers have adopted his idea as a shared strategy.
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Other European executives argue for a broader response
European leaders have put forward different, and sometimes complementary, answers. Renault CEO Luca de Meo has argued for fair competition, including cooperation and changes to industrial policy. Citroën CEO Xavier Chardon has questioned the limited effect of EU tariffs and stressed that cars must combine affordability with distinctive content. Euronews quoted Chardon saying: “You need to be affordable but also have content that stands out in the market.”
That counterpoint matters for Rimac’s niche strategy: differentiation has to give buyers a reason to choose a car, but it must also fit their budgets and the manufacturer’s ability to build and sell it at scale. The available positions do not amount to a single agreed solution; they emphasize different parts of the challenge, from product identity to policy and cost.
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Should European carmakers copy Chinese EV technology?
Rimac’s reported advice is not to copy Chinese manufacturers indiscriminately or make screen size and charging speed the whole basis of competition. His alternative is to build distinctive products around craft, materials and a clear niche. That is a strategic view about where European brands might differentiate, not evidence that technology improvements are unnecessary or that every buyer values luxury and tactility over price or convenience.
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