Riding on a rollercoaster with your arms flung up, skydiving from 20,000 feet zooming through the air, water skiing at breakneck speed are all things we do for pleasure. They give us a thrill in life, something that is physically challenging and makes your heart race. Now imagine if you could get that same rush of adrenaline anytime you wanted, how much would you pay? Performance cars are the boy toy for grown-ups, their ability to put a smile on your face is unquestionable. They may just be technological, and engineering dreams that have come to life but the feeling of power and speed they give you cannot be replicated by doing anything else. Sitting behind the wheel of a performance car has practically been almost everyone’s dream at some point. But how hard is it to get your own private performance car company up and running? It’s an alluring prospect that so many of today’s most famous manufacturers bit down on and never let go to finally arrive where they are now. How could you bring your own vision of a car to life and make it last as a business?
Find a niche first
Before you can begin to make drawings of what you would like, put down the sketch pen and study the market. Even though it may be a unique car, your idea may have already been done. You have to give customers an incentive to give you a second glance when they first hear and see you. A great example of a company that found a niche is Tesla. The company is becoming incredibly famous now, but that’s because battery technology in cars has finally become practical for everyday use. Tesla actually was founded in 2003 a year after the Ferrari Enzo was released. This is hugely significant because two milestones in the car industry happened in these two years. The Enzo was the first truly modern supercar. It borrowed technology from the Formula One team and was designed to be track worthy straight from the get-go. Meanwhile, Tesla had begun to research and develop a fully battery-powered car that could be usable every day. The first car named the Tesla Roadster came out five years later in 2008. Both of these cars sold because they were niche products that could not be replicated by anybody else. For your business, you must find a niche that not only you would enjoy but could surprise the market also.
Start sketching
The sketching of your very first car is going to be an amazing experience. You’re finally putting your idea onto paper where you and everybody else can see it. The proportions, powerplant, driver and passenger seating, and practicality of the car will be estimated for the first time. The blueprint of the car will need two different styles of thinking that are conducive to two different fields. One side has to be the design team that brings out the artistic look, feel and lines of how the car will look. The other party will need to be purely from an engineering background as they will inject a bit of sanity back into the design, telling you what is and isn’t possible. Once you have a blueprint of the car, it’s time to find investors who will be interested in funding the creation of your very first car. The car itself will be a prototype that is not safe for public release as it’s purely a testbed for the final product.
The business plan
Along with the blueprint, you must now devise a coherent business plan that goes into great depth of detail. One of the first things you need to do is to find a factory that will serve your needs. Here is where you’ll create your manufacturing plant and assembly line. The cars will be born and sent out from here, so it’s incredibly important to think about location and practicality. The factory has got to be large enough and have modern standards of logistics such as lighting, electrical outlets, fire exits etc. the location is going to be very important because you will require shipment of your products all over the country. The factory needs to be large enough that it can also store car parts. Workers on the assembly line and at crucial stages of the production line need to have clear access to the stored parts as each car comes down the line to their station. The engine fitters need to be able to lift the engine in storage, smoothly over to the body of the car without any chance of elongated waiting time or irregular positioning of the car.
A brief and thought-provoking time to action should be clearly laid out in the business plan. When do you expect your first batch of cars to be completed? Who will the customers be and how would they receive their cars? How much profit or loss will be made on each car? Can you form a package deal such as warranty and special member’s club services to hook and line customers into the brand’s palm for a period of time? Many such questions need to be asked of yourself and answered clearly and firmly. As with any other business, it’s crucial to keep track of the profits and revenue as these are the clear signs of a business succeeding or failing.
Start a customer service
The car industry is such a phenomenally exciting place to work in because at heart, it’s all about pushing the limits of human achievement both in an engineering standpoint and in human enjoyment. As a small and private car manufacturing company, one of your unique selling points should be the great service you give your customers. These customers that put down an order for your cars so early on are the people that truly uplift a car business that’s very young. With their faith in you, it’s provides you not only with time to further refine your business but also show that people believe in your product.
For your buyers that have seen your cars online and placed an order with you either over the telephone or via the internet, you must be practically able to bring them their product. Hiring a car transport service that will properly take care of your vehicles as they go on the road long distances is the only way to go. Interstate car transport is the type of long-haul service that you should be looking for as customers who are far and wide should never feel as though they have to drive hundreds of miles to you to get the product they have already paid for. All the large and top manufacturers that make premium cars have this service for their own customers so you as a small private company offering this, is a massive boost for your public relations campaign also.
Market your car at shows
The Geneva Motor Show is perhaps the largest and most well-known car display show in the world. Some of the biggest releases in the history of automotive engineering have been made here. Lots of national car shows that have high acclaim like the Goodwood Festival are prime examples of car shows that make an impact for your brand. You should take your car to these types of shows and allow the public to touch and feel your car for themselves. Journalists will give you attention also as private car companies are loved by car magazines and car shows such as Top Gear, The Grand Tour and Chris Harris on Cars.
The cars you showcase must be properly cleaned and made to shine underneath the lighting of the shows. Be sure to add a thick layer of high-quality gloss or polish to the exterior of the car. The bottom line is shiny things do interest us, and it’s far better to have a car that looks brand spanking new that a used but well-cared-for car. Allow customers to see what’s underneath the hood so to speak by having the power plant out on show itself. Again polished and cleaned to look brand new. Be ready and willing to talk to anyone, especially investors that are on the floor and want to see what the next biggest thing is going to be and hopefully, bet on a winning horse. For a fee, car shows will allow manufacturers to hold a presentation of their brand and cars that are on show and future projects. No better a platform than this, you should be striving to save yourself a spot on the presentation schedule so you can explain who you are and what you offer the customer.
One of the most exciting businesses to ever open, a private car company is a dream come true for many people. You’re on the cusp of automotive engineering which is important to the challenge of human progression. You get the chance to make products that tantalize the senses and bring joy to the owners. When you beat out your larger and better-known competition by creating a car that is love for its groundbreaking nature, it’s the ultimate underdog hero story.
Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.