--- title: "Bugatti Boss to Euro Car Brands: Ditch Screens and Focus on Luxury, Not China" date: "2026-10-02" modified: "2026-10-02" authors: - name: "Jerry Perez" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez.md" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/bugatti-boss-to-euro-car-brands-ditch-screens-and-focus-on-luxury-not-china" categories: - "Culture" - "News" - "People" tags: - "Rimac" --- # Bugatti Boss to Euro Car Brands: Ditch Screens and Focus on Luxury, Not China ![Bosnian entrepreneur Mate Rimac, owner of Croatia's Rimac Automobili Company, poses sitting in to the new Nevera R electric supercar with over 2100 horsepower, during a presentation on the sideline of the opening of the new Campus production plant in Kerestinec, few kilometres west of Zagreb, on October 17, 2024. (Photo by DAMIR SENCAR / AFP)]() *\Damir Sencar via Getty\* Mate Rimac isn't just a very smart guy or a [pioneer-turned-executive]() in the automotive industry—he's an automotive enthusiast through and through and tends to call it as he sees it. His latest [Instagram video]() is no exception. Rimac, who currently serves as the president of [Bugatti](), the Rimac Group, and CEO of Bugatti Rimac, went on a brief tirade about the state of the European automotive industry. Specifically, he tore into the Euro OEMs—I suppose he was mostly referring to Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Ferrari, and the sort—about their latest trends in vehicle design, technology, and features. Here's the full speech: *"The European automotive industry is in trouble, and now they're running around paying tens of millions or hundreds of millions to consultants to get them out of it. I'll save you the money. 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.* *But I won't just tell you what not to do, I'll also tell you what to do. Just do this. This… This… this… this… \[he taps around the interior of a vintage Rolls-Royce\]. Take leather, real materials, real stuff. Stuff like this. And yes, you can say, 'Well, it's a luxury car, it is not for everyone. They need to make a car for everyone.' That's where we disagree. I think you won't be able to do that. Need to find our niche, like the Swiss found with watchmaking. They don't make a watch for everyone, but that's where most of the profit is. They just make 5% of the world's watches, but 90% of the profits in watchmaking. And it's either this or, I think, there won't be a future, because it will be very hard to compete with the Chinese doing the same they are trying to do. So there you go, I just saved you lots of money.*" https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dd9YLjLOkuB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&stkn=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== So there you have it, folks, one of the automotive industry's brightest minds calling for fewer screens (or smaller screens), more buttons, and for European carmakers to get back to what once made them great. Sounds nice, doesn't it? It's nice, but it's also highly unrealistic—maybe not all aspects of his speech, but definitely the bit about companies trying to make cars for everyone. A company like Mercedes can't just live on S-Class sales, and neither can BMW, Audi, etc. Where would Porsche be without the Cayenne? Not here, that's for sure. Still, he has a point, and a very good one. Tell us more, Mate. Maybe on *[The Drivecast]()*? *Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter. ### Author social links [Instagram]()