The electric supercar market is in its infancy. But he might wake up and roar like never before.
Electric supercars would not sell, it is said. Or in any case, would not attract wealthy clients, the only ones capable of filling their garages with Lamborghinis, Ferraris and McLarens as easily as we fill our cupboards with Nutella.
I have read this statement a few times in recent weeks. Allow me to find it a little peremptory, even expeditious. I will not return to the little whiff of EV-bashing which now almost systematically underlies any publication aiming to demonstrate that the electric car has no future, whatever its form, its efficiency and its objective qualities.
But even if we put aside the purely ideological aspect of certain positions, there is another problem. The problem is that as we speak, there simply is no electric supercar on the market. Or rather, to be completely exact, there is one, and it's more of a hypercar, I called the Rimac Nevera. And it costs, according to sources, between 2.5 and 3 million euros. That's about 10 times the price of a Ferrari or a McLaren.
So certainly, according to its creator's own admission, the Nevera would not sell very well since to date only 50 examples have found buyers out of the 150 that must be produced. With this missile for the super rich, Mate Rimac aimed at an exclusive clientele made up of passionate and wealthy collectors. But it didn't work very well, and despite breathtaking performance – 1,914 horsepower, 0 to 100 in less than 2 seconds and more than 415 km/h top speed – the car struggled to find its audience. This observation is shared by Stephan Winkelmann, CEO of Lamborghini, and supports the theory that the market for electric sports cars remains a very complicated segment for the moment.
The “emotional” attachment to thermal engines
It must be recognized that for many car enthusiasts, the emotion and sensations conveyed by thermal engines are irreplaceable. The roar of a V12 or the revs of a V10 provide an experience that is difficult to reproduce with electric motors. As Lamborghini's Stephan Winkelmann noted, although electric vehicles are faster, they don't generate the same excitement as a high-resonance motor placed behind the seats. This fundamental difference partly explains why wealthy collectors still largely prefer traditional supercars.
Should we therefore conclude that there is no market for electric supercars? Some happily take the plunge, relying on a single and unrepresentative example, which says a lot about the seriousness and depth of the argument.
Perhaps there is another way of looking at things. If the market for electric supercars does not take off, it is simply because for the moment the offer does not exist. So of course, we still need to agree on the terminology. The Rimac Nevera, just like a Bugatti Chiron (or Tourbillon) falls directly into the category of hypercars, namely cars with monstrous performance and price, which are more intended to end up in the living room of an emir, the window of a Silicon Valley mogul, or in a story by Karim Benzema. But most often, directly at the museum.
Below this stratospheric category, we find that of supercars whose price is roughly between 200,000 and 400,000 euros. This is where a core market that remains as vibrant and profitable as ever thrives, made up of Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren and other Porsches, a non-exhaustive list. In this segment, although there is not yet a very structured offer, strictly speaking, things are changing little by little. A Porsche Taycan Turbo S can already claim the throne, even if its 4-door, 4-seater sedan structure does not make it exclusive enough for fans of walks between the Croisette, the Monaco Casino and the hills of Malibu. Ditto for the Lotus Emeya. However, we are talking about cars that hide a cavalry that would make every GMK on the planet shudder, with at least almost 1000 horsepower, or even 1034 for the Taycan Turbo GT. Let us recall in passing that Ferrari and Porsche are among the most profitable brands on the planet, all categories combined. And if their clientele remains quite conservative and very sensitive to the sirens of a good old thermal, there is also certainly among them a younger segment, attentive to innovation, or even, let's be crazy, a little eco-friendly around the edges. , who will certainly not hesitate to take the controls of a 100% electric ultra-sports car, provided that it knows how to skillfully mix the codes of the old world with sensations that only electric performance can provide.
China and Tesla at the forefront?
Here again, apart from the historic manufacturers, for the vast majority European, we might also have to look towards China, where some quite attractive supercars are being prepared, such as the Nio EP9, the BYD YangWang U9 or even the Aion Hyper SSR.
But also on the side of Tesla, which with its future (!) Roadster 2 could finally signal the start of a new market where everything remains to be done. We also know that Ferrari is working hard on a 100% electric sports car, and that MacLaren is also seriously looking into the issue. For its part, Lotus also promises its Type 135 sports Berlinette for 2027, not to mention, in a lower category (for the poor, boo!) the 100% electric Porsche Cayman and Boxster planned for 2025. Audi, for its part, also mentioned the possibility of a new version of the defunct 100% electric R8. There is no doubt that other brands will follow, including Lamborghini despite the current reservations of its boss.
What would it take for this very glamorous market to really take off? First of all, therefore, an offer that holds up. Then, that manufacturers know how to find the martingale that will ensure them success. Perhaps they should then take inspiration from what Hyundai did with the Ioniq 5 N? Namely, making their cars sexy by integrating devices that evoke thermal sensations. Ridiculous ? Maybe. Still, you only need to read and watch the tests of the 5 N – and the comments – to understand that Hyundai has hit the nail on the head with its four-wheeled UFO.
Ferrari and others know what remains to be accomplished. Is there no market for electric supercars? Too early to say. Shall we talk about it again in a few years?