The “Forever Car”: Why Longevity Is the Luxury Advantage Against Chinese EVs
“In a world racing towards even more disposability, permanence is luxurious.”
In my previous article, I argued that the “Quartz Crisis” that reshaped the Swiss watch industry offers a blueprint for how legacy automakers can survive, and even thrive, as Chinese EVs remake the global car market. I made the case that legacy brands should lean into their heritage, move upmarket, and treat ICE not as a liability but as an emotional asset.
There is one dimension of that argument worth expanding: longevity.
A high-end mechanical watch can cost as much as a very exotic car, yet it can last multiple lifetimes with proper servicing; that comparison is not trivial. If a luxury watch is worth five or six figures because it endures, then what does it say about luxury car pricing for a vehicle that is expected to depreciate to scrap within a few decades at most?
The Swiss Watch Strategy: Why Legacy Automakers Must Pivot To It Now…Or Be Crushed By Chinese EVs
The current regulatory approach attempts to achieve this by prescribing a particular drivetrain mix, but what if it just mandated a target? This raises a strategic question: what if, in the long-term, legacy automakers simply ceded the mass market entirely to China?
What if, instead of diluting themselves across a broad, value-sensitive product portfolio, they concentrated on what they do best, and have done since their inception: selling emotion at a premium?