numerous world performance records. But the company has also been working on “Project 3” to pioneer another emerging automotive revolution – self-driving cars. I talked to Mate Rimac and Project 3 CEO and Co-founder Marko Pejković about how their strategy is unique compared to other carmakers focusing on autonomy.“I’ve been in the industry for 15 years and seen that the tanker has turned towards electric,” says Mate Rimac.
The Verne solution is unlike other autonomous vehicle concepts. For a start, the design being launched is a two-seater, rather than being aimed at families or group transportation. Huge side doors slide forwards to enable ingress, revealing a luxurious interior with a full-width display across the front. Occupants can program their destination and then use this screen to enjoy their own media, personalized to their account.
“The third challenge is customer acceptance,” continues Pejković. “That one is easier for us, because we're focusing so much on customer experience. But some startups aren’t. They’re focusing more on the utilitarian approach of cramming as many people as possible into something that looks like a toaster. Here the customer acceptance is going to be a challenge because why would I give up on the privacy, comfort, and features of my own car to go into a minibus that is autonomous now.
“On top of that is the efficiency of execution,” says Pejković. “You can have a lot of nice ideas, but it's how you get to market in the right way. Once the technical challenge is done, the real challenge becomes how you make a sustainable business. Current companies are not sustainable. They're investing a lot of money rolling out fleets and not making their investment back.