Car Design News went along to the hotly anticipated launch of the Nilu hypercar and grabbed a word with the masterminds behind it
Sasha Selipanov’s long-anticipated Nilu hypercar made its debut in downtown Los Angeles at an intimate gathering attended by friends, family, and many peers from past and present.
The car is the culmination of many years of planning and work for the former Bugatti and Koenigsegg designer who’s fond of Metallica T-shirts and baseball caps, along with his wife Inna, who serves as co-founder and COO. Sasha calls his creation — powered by a naturally aspirated V12 engine with a manual transmission — a “middle finger” to the car industry, born from his passion for racing, purity of design, and form following function.
Car Design News: Sasha, at what point did you know you were going to do your own thing?
Sasha Selipanov: I think that was the goal all along, and I was trying to prepare for that eventual step. But meeting Christian von Koenigsegg and spending time with him was the moment I realised it’s now or never. And Inna really played a major part in my leap of faith.
I was never a guy who wanted to be your stereotypical car designer working for an OEM, going into board meetings and hearing marketing input on what the car should look like. I generally have very little respect for authority, which could…
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