BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes, Renault, Peugeot, Fiat, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Bugatti, Aston Martin, and so many others… All these brands make us dream, fascinate us, and have been with us since childhood. However, in recent years, undoubtedly driven by Tesla, new names and new startups are emerging and betting on establishing themselves and influencing the automotive landscape.
Among these new names in the automotive industry are several French companies. What do they have in common? The dream of creating their own brand and competing with legendary models with new designs and new technologies. This is the case forOliver Lombard, racing driver, youngest winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, who launches
its first high-end hydrogen vehicle: Hopium Machina. Does this brand allude to this addictive substance which also inspired Yves Saint Laurent for one of his perfumes? Not at all. It is actually a mixture of hope and the hypothetical creation of a new chemical element that could have been part of the periodic table of elements (dear to Dmitri Mendeleev), like helium, potassium, sodium... or even hydrogen. Because it is this element that allowed theHopium Machine to be born and define its design. It is a fuel cell that generates electricity from hydrogen. Placed at the front, it influences the design of the car, whose ascending fuselage optimizes its cooling. The lines of this luxury hydrogen car were designed by Felix Godard, former designer at Porsche and Tesla, who created the identity of the car, notably through the light signature that recalls the stratification of a hydrogen molecule and the waves on the surface of water. The Hopium Machina is a supercar aimed at new technology enthusiasts: 1000 km of announced autonomy, a recharge in 3 minutes, a power of more than 500 hp and a top speed of 250 km/h. It combines performance, hyper connectivity, safety and ergonomics. With a proposed retail price of €120, and the 000 prototypes having already been sold in just ten days, we can say that Hopium has won its bet and is becoming a growing French brand.
Hydrogen and biomethane
Like Hopium, another brand is also moving towards hydrogen and biomethane. Vision Automobiles has set itself the goal of revolutionizing the hypercar industry and proving that French productions have their place in the exceptional automotive industry, while developing clean technologies for the future of mobility and responding to the energy transition. Coming from very different backgrounds but all passionate, the members of the Vision Automobiles team have created a two-seater vehicle directly inspired by the prototypes of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, whose name aptly reflects the ambition to “revolutionize” hypercars: 1789. This car immerses the driver and passenger in the world of racing, placing the legs above the level of the pelvis. 1789 is a vehicle that has an extremely flat bottom designed to generate maximum aerodynamic support and thus provide sensations that are only felt on the circuits. Under its refined bodywork, there is an engine specially developed for endurance. Everything has been designed to provide unique sensations to the drivers. These cars, developed, manufactured and assembled in France, combine exceptional French know-how in motorsport and luxury, while preserving the planet.
French hypercar
In the field of Hypercars, Genty Automobile, based in St-Yorre-en-Auvergne, is also launching into the luxury car market. A childhood dream that has become
reality! The encouragement of a teacher who suggests he draw his own car and voila Frédéric Genty creates the French hypercar Akylone. In reference to the god of the northern winds Aquilon, or the cold and violent North Wind? Akylone embodies speed and power.
With a background in accounting and law, Frédéric Genty changed completely and threw himself into cutting-edge composites and industrial design out of passion. His experiences as a workshop manager in several prototyping companies, manufacturing Lamborghini and Ferrari replicas, and then concept cars, reinforced his industrial skills in the automotive field and his passion for luxury cars. He then imagined the car he would like to drive and joined forces with partners who would allow the French hypercar to see the light of day. The Genty Automobile team, working to reduce the vehicle's weight, created an aerodynamic design by combining the highest-performance composite materials across the entire structure and streamlining the number of parts allowed by CAD design. Akylone wants to establish itself as a new automotive benchmark among enthusiasts and wealthy collectors. Because this luxury hypercar will be produced
in a very limited series (25 copies, 15 coupé and 10 roadster) and will display a price of €1,5 million excluding VAT for its coupé model. Marketing is open…
Respect the environment
While these initiatives prove that creativity, investment, and passion create exceptional cars "à la française," other brands are emerging beyond our borders and establishing themselves on the European automotive market. This is the case of the Czech brand Patak Motors, which plans to launch the MWM roadster by 2024
retro inspired by the 1920s. The idea behind this project was to reflect on the needs of city dwellers. This reflection generated the creation of a small, lightweight car, electric or gasoline, which would allow driving around the city while respecting the environment. But its particularity lies in its design inspired by “gentleman's car” type cars which makes it timeless and whose retro style, unlike modern design, never goes out of style. A very small, hyper-compact vehicle (L 3,36 x H 1,36 x W 1,4 mm), whose speed will not exceed 125 km/h in gasoline and 130 km/h in electric. In addition, the manufacturer wanted to generate the emotion and pleasure of driving at low speed, going against all current trends in the automotive world. The performance in terms of autonomy and electronic systems of other manufacturers are the antithesis of the philosophy of Patak Motors, which focuses more on the sensation that driving gives off.
Finally, this roadster is completely customizable! The exterior accessories can be combined individually. It will therefore be entirely possible to choose
its headlights, its mirrors, its handles, the contours of the grille, the contours of the windshield, the window trims, the color of the interior, etc. It is therefore in 2024, after the final phases of testing and its approval in 2023, that the production of the roadster should begin. It is possible to reserve your model now, by paying a deposit of €500 before paying between €22 and €900 for the purchase of the chosen model, depending on the autonomy. In just a few years, the growth of these brands is surprising, the desire to build the automotive future is confirmed: new models, new names, new technologies. Initiated by Tesla – which led the way in audacity and proved to the world that anything was possible and that a car brand could comfortably establish itself in the landscape, with superb design and cutting-edge technologies, without even communicating in the media – the emergence of new brands will change the automotive landscape of tomorrow.
Corinne Bedrossian
