Classic but Modern: Piëch - The Rising Star in the Electric Sports Car Industry

While the pandemic has had a negative impact on many car manufacturers around the globe, there seems to be a new emerging star in the industry. Piëch Automotive is a newly established all-electric sports car manufacturer based in Zurich and Munich. Its founder Toni Piëch is set to follow in the footsteps of both his great-grandfather Ferdinand Porsche, founder of Porsche, and his father Ferdinand Piëch, the former chairman of the executive board of Volkswagen Group and awarded Car Executive of the Century.

The company’s goal is to build high-end electric sports cars with a very classic and timeless design. Unlike other car manufacturers, Piëch targets a conservative audience of car enthusiasts with its design. It is not for millennials looking for spaceship-like designs. Additionally, the company has developed an ingenious modular concept that allows for many modifications and different car body styles. Part of Piëch’s philosophy is to use the latest and most innovative technology while preserving the feeling of driving a minimalistic old-school luxury sports car.

Moonshot Circle members have the exclusive opportunity to be among the early investors in this company by investing in the pre-IPO of Piëch Automotive, alongside investors like Peter Thiel, UBS, and leading VC funds. According to Moonshot analysts’ estimates, the company’s valuation is expected to multiply by up to 6.4x over the next seven years.

Why Moonshot Added Piëch to the Portfolio

When Piëch presented the Piëch Mark Zero, the company’s concept car, at the Geneva Motor Show 2019, it was immediately clear that this car would challenge the very top of the industry. The Piëch GT is based on that concept car and is expected to be launched on the market as early as mid-2024. With its fast-charging technology, the Piëch GT can be charged from 0 to 80% in under 5 minutes. This is much faster than the best current electric car’s supercharger, which takes about 30 minutes. With an acceleration from 0 to 100km/h in under 3 seconds, this car certainly does not have to hide from its best competitor’s performance either. Unlike other electric car manufacturers, Piëch combines a uniquely classic design with the latest technology in a way that preserves the old-school sports car driving experience.

As environmental awareness is rising fast all around the world and more and more governments start subsidizing the shift to electric vehicles, this market is expected to grow from USD 287.36 billion in 2021 to a staggering USD 1.318.22 billion in 2028 at a CAGR of 24.3%. This makes Piëch an excellent green investment in a fast-growing market and represents a great opportunity to diversify not only our but also your portfolio.

It is therefore hardly surprising that this company has already attracted the attention of many well-known investors. Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal, UBS, STJ Advisors, and other leading VC funds, are among the early investors.

Piëch Family - the Hundred-Year Dynasty of Car Manufacturers

There is hardly any family in the world that is more deeply rooted in the automotive industry than Toni Piëch’s family. His great-grandfather Ferdinand Porsche was not only the founder of Porsche but also built some of the first electric vehicles and the first hybrid vehicle of the world more than 120 years ago.

Ferdinand Piëch, Toni’s father, continued on the path of his successful relative and became one of the most respected managers in the industry. In his time at the Volkswagen Group, he played a key role in transforming Audi into the premium brand it is today and thus contributing to the success of the whole Volkswagen group.

The Product

The Piëch GT is built based on a modular concept. This allows for many different body types, which will make it much easier to build SUVs or limousines on the same basis in the near future. Moreover, hardware components like the powertrain and the software can easily be substituted or updated, which makes this a uniquely long-lasting and sustainable sports car.

From the first moment, the expectations towards the company were high, as the Piëch GT is a performance monster in many respects. It accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in less than 3 seconds, comparable to the Tesla Model 3 and Aston Martin Rapide. Thanks to the synchronous 150 kW motor at the front and the two synchronous 150 kW motors at the rear axle, the Piëch GT guarantees a sports car feeling previously almost only known from combustion engines. Its advanced battery, which is produced in Germany, provides a range of 500km, which is remarkable for a sports car.

The combination of the timeless beauty of the car’s design with the latest technological advantages and the feeling of driving a classic sports car is what makes this car truly unique.

The Team

Toni Piëch and his co-founder Rea Stark Rajcic, an entrepreneur and award-winning industrial designer, are highly selective in choosing their employees. It is therefore hardly surprising that they put together a top team with impressive track records in the automotive industry. This is also reflected in its board of directors, over which Matthias Müller, the former CEO of Porsche and Volkswagen, presides.

Piëch’s Chief Technology Officer Klaus Schmidt, who previously worked as chief engineer at BMW Motorsport, will soon also become co-CEO at Piëch alongside Andreas Henke. Henke previously worked for Porsche and Burmester and will be responsible for the brand strategy, marketing, customer relationships, finance, and personnel. Jochen Rudat, a former manager at Tesla who built their whole dealership network in Europe from the ground up, is Piëch’s Head of Sales.

Investment Opportunity

Members of Moonshot Circle have the exclusive opportunity to participate in the price movement, invest in Piëch shares by way of a structured product (Tracker Certificate), and benefit from the pre-IPO phase growth. We conservatively expect the company’s valuation to grow by a multiple of up to 6.4x by 2027. Our minimum ticket size for this investment is CHF 25'000.

Summary

Piëch Automotive aims at building luxury electric sports cars while bringing into harmony a timeless design, the latest technology, and sustainable production. Thus, the company is very well-positioned to benefit from the trend of moving away from combustion engines in favor of more environmentally friendly alternatives like electric-powered vehicles. Therefore, this is not only an investment with expected attractive returns but also an investment into a more sustainable and greener future.

Please note that only professional clients within the meaning of Art. 4 para. 3 to 5 or Art. 5 para. 1 and 4 of the Swiss Financial Services Act (“FinSA”) are eligible for this investment opportunity.

The structured products are not issued, guaranteed or secured in an equivalent manner by a supervised institution within the meaning of article 70 (1) FinSA of the Swiss Financial Services Act (“FinSA”). The issuer has not provided a collateral corresponding to the requirements under article 70 (2) FinSA. The structured products will be an obligation solely of the issuer and will not be the responsibility of any other entity.

The structured products do not constitute collective investment schemes within the meaning of the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes ("CISA") and are therefore neither governed by the CISA nor subject to authorization and supervision by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority ("FINMA"). Accordingly, holders of structured products do not have the benefit of the specific investor protection provided under the CISA.