Supercar Blondie talks flying cars, Cybertruck, China

No one is quite captivating car fanatics to the level of Alexandra Mary Hirschi, better known to millions around the globe as Supercar Blondie. Born and raised in Brisbane, Australia, Hirschi has turned her passion for supercars and cutting-edge automotive design into a digital empire. Based in Dubai, she’s best known for her videos showcasing the most extraordinary vehicles on the planet, with a following of over 100 million across social media — shared across Facebook (58 million), TikTok (18.9 million), Instagram (17 million), and YouTube (20.3 million subscribers). From her early days as a broadcast journalist hosting a popular drive-time radio show in Dubai, Hirschi has transformed her love for cars into an internationally followed brand. Most recently, she expanded her reach with the launch of SBX Cars, an online auction platform specializing in premium vehicles. In just a few short months, SBX Cars has already broken a world record, with the recent sale of a 2015 Lamborghini Veneno Roadster for a staggering $6 million – making it the most expensive car ever sold via an online-only auction. Here, Hirschi breaks down the latest in automotive innovation. Jing Daily: Why did 2024 feel like the right time to launch SBX Cars? Alex Hirschi: I've spent the last seven years traveling the world looking for the coolest, rarest cars to film for my social media channels. During this time, I developed close relationships with car manufacturers, car collectors, and car lovers from all over the world. It became clear that there was no centralized system where these car collectors could connect to buy and sell their cars. The only options were listing their million-dollar cars alongside much more affordable cars on a digital auction platform, or sending their cars to in-house auctions held in various places around the world. This comes with a lot of risk – shipping these cars physically to a specific location – and comes with a long wait time. We saw that collectors were becoming more comfortable transacting multi-million dollar cars and supercars online, but as I said, there was no global platform to do this. This is why we launched SBX Cars. JD: What would you define as the key characteristics of today's supercar fanatics? AH: People love supercars for lots of different reasons. There isn't one thing that everyone has in common, except for loving to drive. I know some supercar collectors who drive every single one of their cars, even when they're worth $20 million, and I know other collectors who don't drive any of them, rather they keep them as pieces of art. JD: What new industry trends have surprised you in recent years? AH: There are quite a lot of new electric car start-ups. Some want to target the masses and others want to own the electric supercar market, trying to bring buyers across from McLaren and other major automotive manufacturers. We have been contacted by companies from all over the world, wanting to advertise their new electric car from a completely new brand. JD: What are your latest views on the China market in terms of collectors and specific brands? AH: We as a team have reviewed a few new supercars from Chinese automotive manufacturers and were impressed by this wave of innovation coming from the country. I can’t wait to see what’s next. We are particularly impressed with BYD and YangWang, and we’re keeping a close eye on the XPeng’s flying car. Hopefully, I’ll be spending more time in China as these manufacturers release their next exciting supercars. JD: Which markets is SBX seeing the most interest from so far? AH: We have already sold into the US, Kuwait, Hong Kong, Dubai, Germany, Mexico and other countries; so, it’s great to see that collectors from around the world are now able to connect on our platform. We’re seeing a lot of interest in America, as this market is already used to buying cars online. Other countries aren’t familiar with buying cars online yet, but we are seeing a rise in understanding and interest, particularly in Europe and Asia. JD: Which types of videos are hits on Supercar Blondie’s YouTube? AH: We specialize in finding content that you won't find anywhere else in the world; so we like to show concept cars that are quite hard to find and new brands that have interesting tech coming in the future. JD: Why do you think the Tesla Cybertruck went viral? AH: It was a genius marketing ploy from Elon Musk. He made something that looks both super basic and super futuristic. When it comes down to it, the Cybertruck looks like no other car in the world. JD: What's your favorite car of all time? AH: The Koenigsegg Agera RS. They are extremely hard to find for sale and if you do find one, they go for $10 million plus. JD: What are some of the global trends among today's luxury car collectors? AH: A massive trend is now buying cars online. The online car market is growing faster than the traditional in-house auction market. JD: What are the most popular luxury car bespoke features today? AH: Bespoke has always been bespoke. People ask for lots of different things. If something was trending, then it wouldn't necessarily be considered ‘special,’ or bespoke anymore. So, the trend is to try and do something different to anyone else. Someone recently got custom paint on her car to match her favorite nail polish color. JD: What is your favorite car that you own and why? AH: I just bought my Spectre, so I'm really enjoying that now. I ordered it custom from Rolls-Royce with the light-up Spirit of Ecstasy and the starlight doors. Out of all the companies that have turned to electrification, to me, it makes the most sense with Rolls-Royce. They have always been heavy cars, so the heaviness of the batteries isn’t really an issue. They have always been silent cars, which lends itself perfectly to battery power.

Supercar Blondie talks flying cars, Cybertruck, China

On this page

Published September 07, 2024

Sectors

Insights

Company

Supercar Blondie talks flying cars, Cybertruck, China