Enovate - interview with Hakan Saracoglu

Two aircraft hanger size buildings dominate a plot in Shanghai’s Jiading District. Yet this is not a car factory, instead a thousand or so workers are busy on functions ranging from design to finance. Impressive for a company that has yet to put a car into production.

Enovate is one of a raft of electric car startups in China which supposedly reached 450 at their zenith. “They’re consolidating now, it’s the right thing to do there were way too many” says Enovate vice president of design, Hakan Saracoglu. The Turkish born German national has fifteen years’ experience with Porsche along with shorter stints at Ford and Chery.

“I am confident we can succeed and very excited to be creating something. One of the things that attracted me to this startup was the leadership. They appreciate good design and give me a platform to do it” says Saracoglu. Much of the leadership came from SAIC, the state owned powerhouse that has joint ventures with Volkswagen, General Motors, along with producing the MG, Roewe and Maxus brands.

Production of Enovate’s first car, the ME7 crossover, is set for early next year. Enovate have according to Saracoglu completed three production cars with one based on the ME-S concept shown in Shanghai. The production version will likely break cover at next year’s Beijing Auto Show.

“There is no brand loyalty here. Some people will buy new brands if you offer them what they want” says Saracoglu. He heads up a team of 40 designers having joined Enovate in 2017. One of the most noticeable parts of Enovate’s design DNA is the strongly contoured front end which they refer to as a sharknose. The look is intended to be sporty luxury to suit the market. “There is a clarity and simplicity to the design, you need to send a clear message with something you don’t forget easily in order to stand out” says Saracoglu.

Interiors are ‘digital premium’ with three screens in the front and two in the rear. Occupants can throw items from one screen to another. “It reflects the lifestyle of China, inside we are using premium materials and textures” says Toshihiko Yoshizawa, director of interior design and who previously worked at Volkswagen for thirteen years.

The company is growing very quickly. Yoshizawa has only been with the company a year and half. When he arrived design was in a temporary small building; the confined space helped bond the mainly young team many of whom are ex-Volkswagen. “The people who work here are very skilled and Chinese designers are becoming a lot better” he says.

Target customers for the brand are young people born after 1985 with a secondary target of those who are young at heart. “You need to design something that people desire but consider who you are designing for” says Saracoglu. Enovate is aiming at the high end of the market because there are already a lot of Chinese brands covering the low level.

Saracoglu appreciates that in China once a decision is made things can happen super quick. “They’re not afraid to make mistakes but they learn from the mistakes and make it better next time” he says. It is a far cry from how design is done in Europe. At Enovate they are already thinking about the production car when they design the concept.

The environment in Shanghai is stimulating. Jiading, where Enovate is situated, lays claim to the title of Shanghai’s auto city with various facilities, ranging from design and R&D right through to manufacturing, for numerous car brands. There is an autonomous driving test area and Saracoglu notes Didi, China’s answer to Uber, is testing autonomous cars in the neighbourhood. “We are living in exciting times, transportation design is transforming itself from being purely emotional to being more intelligent and rational. Plus there is a new commitment towards originality and craftsmanship in China” he says. For Enovate the challenge is to marry these factors into a desirable product which generates sales.