The head of sales at a company says that it is the “best marketing” ever.
Richard Hammond, almost one year ago, died after he lost control of his Rimac Concept One. He rolled it several times before coming to an abrupt halt with the wheels facing upwards. Although he sustained some injuries, he was able to get his body back in shape and is now perfectly fine.
Although it was difficult for The Hamster, The Grand Tour crew and other participants, the incident proved to be profitable for Rimac, the Croatian electric hypercar marque. Kreso Coric, the head of sales at Autocar admitted that Rimac was able sell three cars in the same day. He said the accident was “the best marketing ever.”
According to the old saying, “When life gives you lemons” (which was also what the car ended up being), make lemonade. Don’t misunderstand, Coric was very concerned about the consequences of the terrible crash.
“Ofcourse, it was frightening and serious. It could have ended in another way. We could have needed a new job.
Coric spoke mostly about the new C_Two car during the interview. The $2.1-million electric car is almost sold out. A few cars are reserved for Rimac’s 12 dealers around the globe. The production will be limited to 150 units, with a large portion of the cars – 75-105 – already on their way to the United States. The average buyer has spent $615,000 for options. Custom leather and clear carbon fiber bodies are the most sought-after extras.
Coric said that the C_Two was not designed to run the 0-60mph (0-96 km/h) in under two seconds. However, Tesla’s new Roadster inspired Rimac to develop the hypercar. The C_Two can reach 62 mph (100 km/h) in 1.95 seconds, and then complete the task of 0-186 miles (0-300 km/h) in 11.8 seconds.
“So, on the rear motors we have two-speed gearboxes. These will make the car extremely noisy and allow it to accelerate. Each front wheel uses a single-speed transmission.
It is planned to complete the first test mules by the end of 2018, and then build 18 prototypes next year. The production of customer cars will begin in January 2020. Each month, only four units will be made.
It’s important to note that Rimac makes 90% of its revenue from technology supply. Aston Martin (Valkyrie), Koenigsegg, Regera and Jaguar (E-Type Concept Zero) are just a few examples. There are also other unnamed automakers that have higher production numbers.