Premcar turns 30 in 2026. To celebrate, we’re sharing some of our carmaking knowledge. This time, it’s about the power of time.
I recently read a news report that quoted an executive from a Chinese automaker.
The message was that China’s vehicle technologies have now surpassed those of the long-standing traditional luxury carmakers, implying that these cars were now less luxurious.
There is no doubt that in-car technologies (and carmaking technologies) from China’s automakers are running at the front.
But it’s not entirely accurate to say that superior in-car technologies make a luxury brand.
Luxury car brands aren’t entirely defined by tech, although it’s fair to say that, for quite some time, every new generation of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class signalled the future of driving.
Even Jeremy Clarkson said as much.
But the idea that luxury equals technology leaves out a lot of other key ingredients, namely time.
Time is arguably the strongest binding agent that solidifies the standing and appeal of all great brands, and not just carmakers.
Time enables experience, skill refinement and craftsmanship.
It confirms what customers want and don’t want.
It gradually highlights a business’s real successes and failures.
It surface-hardens brands by making crystal clear what they stand for.
And when time has washed away the distractions of the moment, time reveals the most valuable lessons for the future.
It’s ironic that the country with the fastest-growing car brands is the same country famed for its steady patience and disciplined long-term planning.
The fastest movers right now are playing a long game, the same long game ‘legacy’ (highly experienced) car brands have played for generations, some for more than a century.
We have played our own long game creating technical answers for OEM carmakers for 30 years. It’s how we’ve accumulated our rare library of knowledge and experience. It’s partly why so many carmakers keep returning with projects and programs.
That’s the power of time. Slow changes to culture and buyer tastes have always steered what we (and other businesses) have done, and it’s had the effect of crystalising our places within these cultures and how people remember the car world’s brands.
Most brands are always rushing to launch the next greatest new car or technical update.
Or they’re rushing to take advantage of some fast-changing (and short-lived) consumer trend. But time remains a key ingredient for new-car programs (and buyer preferences) because it allows them to mature and endure.
Agility is important. Speed is important. Offering the ‘latest’ can often be important. But looking further down the road while chasing longer-term goals always wins.
Bernie Quinn, CEO of Premcar
About Premcar:
Premcar Pty Ltd is a leading Australian vehicle engineering business that specialises in the automotive, defence and aerospace industries. For 30 years, global car-makers have made Premcar their go-to partner for the complete design, engineering and manufacture of niche-model new cars, full-scale new-vehicle development programs, and electric vehicle (EV) conversions and manufacturing. Premcar’s body of work is extensive. It is the name behind more than 213,000 new cars and 55,000 new-vehicle engines. The company has delivered technical advancements and sales success for major car brands from Europe, the USA, Japan, China and Australia. Visit premcar.au.
