Czinger, the small American carmaker known for using 3D printing to manufacture its 21C supercar, announced plans in 2022 to expand its lineup to include a grand tourer and a Lamborghini Urus-fighting SUV. Now, that's no longer the case, according to the company's chief commercial officer.
Newly appointed CCO George Biggs told Autocar in a recent interview that plans for the GT and the SUV, which would've used the 21C's twin-turbocharged 2.88-liter hybrid V-8, have been scrapped.
'If you look at the portfolio, the Czinger brand needs to be something which is very high-end that has a sustainability to it. And I think if you want to chase the market trends [such as the current demand for SUVs], you’re going to find it tricky over the long term.
If you look at brands over the past 15 years, certainly in the luxury space, who've had a very clear vision and execute against that vision, they really have had success. And I think from a hypercar perspective, we can bring a very, very different philosophy and concept that should appeal, and then you build upon that in a way that makes sense to that customer base.'
Instead of chasing the SUV dragon, Czinger plans to focus its efforts on improving and revising the 21C with new variants "into and beyond 2035." Biggs provided a few examples to Autocar, like a 21C with a normal seating arrangement (the standard car has tandem seating) or a 21C that's even more performance-oriented than the 21C V Max, first shown in 2022.
Czinger was technically founded in 2019, but really, its roots stem from Divergent Technologies, a 3D printing company founded by Kevin Czinger in 2014. Its first concept, the Divergent Blade, was among the first in the automotive industry to use 3D printing for production-intent parts. That car would become the 21C, which entered production just last year.
Ultimately, Biggs will rely on new tech and ideas to generate future models.
"Occasionally I'll wander around and go and pester an engineer and ask, 'if you had no constraints, where would you go?" he told Autocar. "And they come out with these fantastic ideas, and they all sit on our technology roadmap. So, a greater application of the technology that we use."
