Donkervoort is a small supercar maker that is winning by purposefully avoiding being like Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche 

Most modern supercar brands, including Ferrari and Lamborghini, are chasing bigger customer numbers, more screens, and a wider commercial appeal, but not Donkervoort.

But in an exclusive interview with us, CEO Denis Donkervoort says that the approach is not wrong; it is simply a different strategy.

His family company has chosen to do the opposite and swim against the tide.

And that choice, he says, is exactly what makes his family’s business so special.

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Donkervoort is avoiding being like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche

“I don’t think it’s a matter of right and wrong,” CEO Denis Donkervoort told us in an interview.

“We are a family-owned business; everything is fully in our hands, in our control, where we do things based on the long-term and not because an investor wants certain numbers this year.”

That independence allows the automotive brand to protect its product DNA, even if it means staying small.

“We have this very different kind of sports car,” Denis said.

“That is our strength but also our weakness. Because we are this crazy thing, we cannot achieve the numbers Ferrari or Lamborghini are achieving, but that is also not our goal.”

Rather than competing directly with the biggest manufacturers, Denis believes small brands must dominate a space of their own.

“If small series brands get close to Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, or McLaren, they don’t survive,” he said.

“The level of service, quality, reliability, and price stability of those brands is unbelievably strong.”

“So you need to create your own little island, and make yourself king of it,” Denis added, “Once people are searching for you, there is no other.”

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Be the king of your own island

That island is built on personal connection as much as engineering, and the CEO inherited the brand from his father, the company’s founder, Joop Donkervoort, so the business has always stood firm on family values.

Denis believes customers choose Donkervoort because they are treated as individuals, not sales figures.

“They are not a number but a name,” he said.

“As an owner, I know about 98 percent of our customers from the last two to five years.”

The company has produced around 2,000 cars in nearly 50 years, and Denis says rarity matters.

“A lot of people think we are a track-focused product,” he said, adding that “it’s a road-legal car. Most of our drivers enjoy it on mountain roads.”

He also challenges the assumption that electrification is the right answer for every performance car.

“For this emotional part of the industry, the solution is especially not an EV,” Denis said, ” a limited sports car can last 100 years or more because it’s seen as an investment.”

Instead, the brand focuses on involvement, even if that divides opinion.

“You either hate it or love it,” Denis said.

“If you want silence, comfort, and massage seats, you probably don’t like our product.”

One thing is for sure: Denis Donkervoort is the king of his island – and what an island it is.