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You might be wondering: if Mavi already designed these two concept cars ages ago, why not just hand them over to Lamborghini and call it a day? Why shell out even more cash to buy Bugatti?
Well, here's the deal—his Lamborghini company is still buried under a mountain of "supercar debt" owed to rich folks around the world. Those three concept cars they've got in the works? It'll take at least two more months to finish developing them. Then they've got to crank out each order one by one, which could drag on for a year and a half. Dropping new concept cars right now would be a terrible move—people might rip them apart for it.
…
So, after dropping $535 million to snap up Bugatti, Mavi handed his two concept cars straight to Bugatti's CEO, Baptiste, and told him to get cracking on promotion and sales plans for Russia and China.
"Chairman Mavi, you're saying these two concept cars are launching in Russia and China first?" Baptiste asked, a little puzzled. Usually, car companies set their sights on Europe as the prime target.
"Yep. Europe's not the right fit for Bugatti's growth," Mavi said matter-of-factly, no hint of bad blood toward the continent.
Think about it: German supercars, Italian supercars, British supercars—Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Maserati, Bentley, Rolls-Royce—all these big names are crammed into Europe. The supercar market there is a total bloodbath, and rich folks have way too many options. Now, a Bugatti Veyron? That thing costs upwards of $4.5 million to make, so you'd have to sell it for at least $6 million. In Europe, that price tag might flop hard. I mean, for that kind of cash, you could snag a few Aston Martins, Bentleys, or Ferraris instead. European billionaires are sharp—they'd do the math.
"Europe's not the place for growth, so China and Russia…?" Baptiste trailed off. He wasn't too clued in on those markets, so he had no idea just how massive China's potential was.
Since Bugatti was now under his wing, Mavi didn't beat around the bush. "Look, here's the straight talk: this Bugatti Veyron is going to be the most expensive supercar in history, hands down. R&D and parts alone will run at least $5 million per car. So, we're pricing it above $8 million—no less, not a penny cheaper."
Mavi wasn't in the habit of losing money on deals. The original Bugatti Veyron? Total misfire on positioning. His target wasn't your average rich guy—it was the absolute cream of the crop, the global elite. Those kinds of billionaires don't care about "the best"; they want "the most expensive." If it feels worth it to them, they'll drop any amount, no hesitation.
As soon as Mavi finished, Baptiste's eyes practically popped out of his head. He was floored.
"E-Eight? Eight million dollars a car? That's…" In Europe, most production supercars hover around $400,000. Mavi's $8 million price tag? It straight-up spooked Baptiste.
But then he thought about Lamborghini's insane comeback. So instead of scoffing or brushing it off, Baptiste didn't doubt Mavi for a second. In fact, he was ready to jump in and help make this wild idea a reality.
"For the launch of these two concept cars, no price questions, no pre-orders—everything about those stays under wraps," Mavi said, laying out his game plan for the supercars.
Even if they went with global bidding, the Bugatti Veyron might not blow up like Lamborghini's Venom or Reventón did with the ultra-rich. It's just too pricey! Plus, Bugatti as a brand? In the last decade, only the EB110 got any love from billionaires. Then they went bankrupt in '95 and vanished for six whole years. Unless people see the real deal in person, good luck getting anyone to plunk down cash sight unseen.
Mavi's strategy was simple: tease the hell out of the wealthy crowd. Drop the Bugatti Veyron and Bugatti 918 Spyder concepts, show off the specs and performance to the world—but keep the price and pre-orders off the table. Once the cars are fully developed, he might even bankroll a couple of movies to hype them up—think Fast and Furious or Need for Speed. Those flicks don't exist in this world yet, and not making them would be a disservice to himself and the fans.
"Got it, Chairman Mavi. I think I'm on board," Baptiste said. As Mavi's subordinate, even if he didn't fully get it, he'd follow orders. Otherwise, he'd probably be out the door.
"Cool, let's roll with that for now," Mavi replied nonchalantly.
After wrapping up Bugatti business in France, he had to hightail it back to Russia for a Defense Ministry meeting coming up fast. Why the rush? Because at that meeting, the Russian Defense Ministry was set to hash out a "sanctions" plan against Japan. To be precise, they were planning to station long-range (possibly intercontinental) missiles aimed at the Japanese islands—pure military muscle to make sure Japan thinks twice next time.
Why skip mid-range missiles? That goes back to the 1985 U.S.-Soviet Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles. In this parallel world, the U.S. and Russia never had a Cold War, but the successful development of long-range missiles and the nuclear threat had the whole planet on edge, fearing annihilation. After seven years of talks, the U.S. and Russia agreed to scrap their stockpiles of mid-range missiles—ones with a 1,000-to-5,500-kilometer range. That included both conventional and nuclear warheads, plus land-based launchers. So far, they've destroyed 2,192 missiles between them.
(Mid-range missiles, the bridge between short- and long-range, got axed as a symbolic gesture—a reassurance pill for neighboring countries.)
On the flight back to Moscow, Mavi's butler, Ivan, got a call from the Kremlin. Covering the receiver, he whispered, "Young Master, it's Yuna, the secretary to Defense Minister General Grilov."
General Grilov, the Defense Minister, had crossed paths with Mavi during the Chechen campaign, and his secretary Yuna had met Mavi a few times too. Speaking of Chechnya, Mavi's "Ma V" mercenary crew had absolutely crushed it during six-plus months of guerrilla fighting there.
(End of Chapter)