(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Anton 'Toni' Piëch, co-founder of the Swiss electric car manufacturer Piëch Automotive, tells SWI swissinfo.ch why he chose Zurich and how he intends to make his mark in a highly competitive market with battery-powered cars for 'purists who love technology'.
This content was published on May 11, 2021 - 09:00 May 11, 2021 - 09:00 Philippe Monnier See in other languages: 3
- Deutsch
(de)
"Wir wollen Autos für Puristen machen" - Italiano
(it)
"Vogliamo costruire automobili per i puristi" - Français
(fr)
'Nous voulons fabriquer des voitures pour les puristes
Piëch, who says he wants to breathe new life into the Swiss car industry, is a scion of an Austrian-German family with a rich automobile history: his great-grandfather was Ferdinand Porsche and his father, Ferdinand Piëch, was CEO of Volkswagen.
Piëch is the great-grandson of Ferdinand Porsche Harold Cunningham / AFP
swissinfo.ch: Why did you choose Zurich as a base for Piëch Automotive?
Toni Piëch: As a European, I think it's important that Europe keep playing a significant role in the world. In the automobile industry, Europe has a very solid industrial base.
Although I am part-Austrian and part-German, I grew up in Lucerne and I appreciate the values of long-term reliability that you find in Swiss watches, for example. These are the values Piëch Automotive wants to exemplify.
Finally, Zurich is a major financial centre and increasingly a technology hub, with companies like Google.
swissinfo.ch: Switzerland also has many automotive suppliers…
T.P.: Sure, but that wasn't a decisive factor, because we could have had good access to the Swiss suppliers from another country such as Germany, Austria or Italy. In any case, we're working with suppliers not only here in Europe but also outside it.
swissinfo.ch: With all these foreign suppliers, can you really claim that your cars are 'Made in Switzerland'?
T.P.: No, because according to 'Swissness' rules, at least 60% of the value needs to be produced in Switzerland. In the automobile industry, that's not realistic.
Toni Piëch
Anton Piëch was born in 1974 and comes from an Austrian and German family. He went to school at the Lyceum Alpinum in Zuoz, near St Moritz in eastern Switzerland. He then studied Far Eastern studies at Princeton in the US.
He spent 12 years in China, first as a correspondent for Swiss radio, then as founder and president of PAE Pictures, a company specialising in the production of feature films, television programmes and digital content.
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swissinfo.ch: Some makers of electric cars, like Porsche, are offering a range of models and options; others, such as Tesla, are not. Where does Piëch Automotive fit in?
T.P.: Our strategy is different again. Our goal is to create objects of passion: classic cars meant for purists who love technology.
swissinfo.ch: Around the world there are at least 100 start-ups specialising in electric vehicles. Established car makers are also increasingly turning their attention to these vehicles. How do you expect to stand out?
T.P.: Our sector is indeed highly competitive, but we're not worried, because our approach is not to sell the largest number of cars as quickly as possible. Our vision is to serve a very specialised niche and to keep turning a respectable profit over the long term.
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