There has been a definite spike of new car makers. Most, if not all, trying to get a piece of the EV market. As an early panicked and intimidated enthusiast, I have to admit that a lot of EVs that have come out lately are very exciting. As a matter of fact, the first EV move that me and my family are trying to make is the change of the family car to an EV. But I digress, let’s move to the purpose of this story. Czinger Vehicles, a new but very different car company.
By now you probably have heard about the Czinger Vehicles, if you haven’t, I will be more than pleased to introduce you to them. Let me begin by explaining how I got acquainted with Czinger. I was aware of the development of a hypercar by Czinger but did not go further than that. What I do remember, and what made the concept stick in my head, was the different seating arrangement in the vehicle. More on that later. Now, what made the intrigue grow exponentially was listening to The InEVitable, a MotorTrend podcast about the future of mobility. This interview with Kevin and Lukas Czinger, CEO and SVP of Operations respectively, was a very clear reflection of the Ethos of the company. A highly recommended interview that you can find HERE. The conversation moved me to look more into the brand and reach out to their Communications Team.
Alright, that’s a cool story but what is Czinger? Let me make it short and sweet. The first Czinger vehicle, the 21C was engineered and optimized with the use of AI and finished by hand. If that is not impressive, let’s add that it was also 3D printed. The seating arrangement, it is not side by side. Mind you, this is a two seater car. In the 21C, the passenger rides behind the driver, inspired by the SR-71 blackbird. Czinger design language, does not focus on the addition of downforce, like regular car designs, but intends for the surfaces of the vehicles to be “slippery”. Optimizing for speed and reducing the drag coefficient. That doesn’t mean that the vehicles can’t benefit from some downforce, generated by the massive wing on the 21C. The engine that powers the 21C, is a hybrid, twin turbo V8 engine, created by Czinger. The 21C was limited to 80 units and it should start deliveries this year (2023).
Before jumping further into the specific models, I would like to highlight the manufacturing practices employed by Czinger. Without diving too deep into their design process, let’s go straight to the 3D Printing. By employing 3D Printing, we leave behind the conventional manufacturing practices, such as stamping, bending, molding. I am butchering here, but the way I understand it is that we don’t have the common components that go into a car, and it is more like optimized structures. The chassis is not a big frame, which we see in the automotive industry. It becomes more of a literal “Sum of all parts”. Last, the usual assembly line is absent. From what I know, we have one single station that assembles the vehicle (Czinger correct me if I am mistaken). All these changes put together, allow a lot of savings. I’m not talking about just material and cost savings. Put in different words, they are able to eliminate waste. Waste comes in many different forms, material, time, transportation, overproduction, etc. Understanding this and approaching the industry from a different perspective is what makes Czinger revolutionary.
Now, during Car Week 2022, Czinger introduced the new models. Let’s start with the difference between the 21C and 21C V Max. Big wing and more aggressive overall design, are present on the 21C. The 21C V Max is more sleek. Less wing more glide. Finally, the Hyper GT, which is the coupe proposition. Interestingly enough, this is a two door vehicle, for four people. Definitely more passenger oriented… did I mention the Gull wing doors? I mean, let’s be honest, if EV designs and tech were getting significantly more exciting, Czinger brought the Tabasco bottle to make it extra spicy. If by now you are still not excited for Czinger, then there is no amount of words I can write for you to get there. The times are changing in the car world, but that does not mean for the worst.
I would like to close with three personal thoughts/ questions. One, my desire to learn about these improvements, not only in technology but in the manufacturing processes of vehicles, is what has brought me to write about Czinger. Their Communications Team was VERY kind to send information my way to make this article happen. Two, the one I might not get to know too much about in the near future, how their manufacturing and 3D Printing is set up. I mean all the AI optimization and the Iron Man like 3D Printing and assembly sounds cool. But you know what’s cooler? To see it and understand it. And finally, three, another unknown, at least to me, how do both motors work together? If this is a hybrid system, how does the Czinger system differentiates itself from the competition? Again, I would like to extend my appreciation to The Communications Team at Czinger, for the help provided. I hope this article gets you as excited as I am for the future in the automobile world.
Thank you for stopping by,
DL
