STA, 22 June 2020 - Elan has launched a new sailboat, dubbed GT6, in what the company claims is the most technologically advanced and best vessel it has ever produced. Like many other companies, Elan is facing the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, but the number of clients has been increasing in the last month.
What is also one of the largest vessels ever produced by the company based in Begunje na Gorenjskem, GT6 is part of the GT series, which was introduced at the end of 2017 with the GT5 model.
Marko Škrbin, the director of Elan's nautical division, has recently told the STA that GT5 was in fact the last model presented before GT6, as the company focused in 2018 and 2019 on thoroughly refurbishing the Impression and E product lines.
GT is the most prestigious line, which uses the best technology, work processes and materials available, and concept-wise, it follows the grand tourer concept in the automotive industry, hence the name.
"It represents an ideal balance between a fast sailboat and comfort at the highest level for long trips," Škrbin said, adding that the new sailboat was also a product of cooperation with the renown Humphreys Yacht Design studio.
Elan has also signed a cooperation deal with Studio F. A. Porsche for interior and exterior design of its sailboats.
The company annually produces around 80 vessels and last year was the most successful in the last ten years business-wise, but Škrbin notes that the pandemic has left an impact and that 2020 will be an underachieving year.
"But in the last month, we have seen the return of a majority of private clients who had postponed their decisions to buy because of the situation, and some new ones," he said, adding that buying a boat was not an impulsive decision.
The company has noticed that people are going outdoors again while looking to minimise their carbon footprint. "This is practically the essence of sailing and the hope is that even more people will use sailboats," Škrbin concluded.
