Hispano Suiza: Electric Hypercars Forged From Heritage
That legacy lives on in a company with more than 120 years of history, embodied today by the Hispano Suiza Carmen, Carmen Boulogne and Carmen Sagrera, clear examples of how tradition and innovation move forward together.
From its inception, Hispano Suiza has remained true to its family heritage. Miguel Suqué Mateu, great-grandson of Damián Mateu, carried the torch and led the company’s rebirth in 2019 with the same determination his great-grandfather and Marc Birkigt showed when they founded the brand in 1904. Under his leadership, Hispano Suiza captured industry attention when it unveiled the Carmen, a fully electric hypercar handcrafted in Spain, using competition-derived technology and developed on the racetrack by racing engineers. In just a few years, that first project evolved into two further models that impressed the world, the Carmen Boulogne and the Carmen Sagrera, tributes to the brand’s racing heritage and to the Hispano Suiza factory in La Sagrera, Barcelona, respectively.
This bold move in Spain placed Hispano Suiza at the centre of the international stage and enabled the marque to shine at the world’s most prestigious Concours d’Elegance events, including Pebble Beach in California and Salon Privé in the UK, as well as at the mecca of motorsport, the Goodwood Festival of Speed. There, its cars shared the stage with icons of automotive history, proving that the brand still preserves the innovative and daring spirit that defined it from the beginning.
The era led by Miguel Suqué Mateu symbolises the continuity of a philosophy that transcends generations, one that embodies the determination never to give up. That same conviction guided his great-grandfather and Marc Birkigt in 1904 when they founded Hispano Suiza to create automobiles that stood out for elegance, comfort and technical capability. These cars became instant favourites with high society. Today, 121 years later, that philosophy continues to guide the company’s future in luxury electric cars and exclusive hypercars.
With the “No Manifesto,” Hispano Suiza set out to reclaim the spirit of courage in the face of those who doubted its bold ideas or advised it at some point to ‘hit the brakes’. Through an emotional video filmed at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the brand reminds its followers that “No” does not mean giving up, quite the opposite, it invites you to dream bigger, to persevere and to find paths no one has dared to walk before. When giving up is not an option, the results can be as extraordinary as Hispano Suiza’s automobiles.
This text also pays tribute to Miguel Suqué Mateu, Chairman of Hispano Suiza and great-grandson of Damián Mateu, who passed away on 15th June earlier this year. His legacy will live on in every step the company takes, inspiring the creation of vehicles distinguished by design, elegance and technical capability that continue to amaze the world.
No Manifesto
No
What a word
Have you ever thought about what happens when you say “No”?
You have an idea and they tell you:
It can’t be done. It’s never been done before
And what do you do?
You ignore them completely
And you keep going
Because they won’t convince you
“No” is only two letters
but they are also enough to find a thousand untrodden paths
To continue where others give up
“No” is a vision
A commitment to your ideas.
“No” is embracing excellence—not just for a second
but for more than a century.
“No” is challenging yourself
and walking alone into the unknown
It’s a silent challenge
far from the noise and the opinions of others
When you say No
it’s only you that matters
in the search for the perfect lap.
And maybe,
thanks to the fact that one day we said No,
we are still here today
And No,
we are not going to stop.
You understand me, don’t you?
