Lucid CEO Says Tesla “Seems to be Distracted”, “Kind of Losing Its Way”
Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
Lucid Motors‘ CEO Peter Rawlinson criticized Tesla on Monday, suggesting the company is “distracted” and “losing its way” adding that it “really falls to Lucid to take the technology to a whole new level”.
In a previous talk with the Financial Times earlier this month, the chief executive had said manufacturers from China are “many years behind Tesla” despite admitting “they’re a lot better than they’ve been”.
In a new interview with the BBC program “Wake up to Money,” Rawlinson, who worked at Tesla from 2009 to 2012, expressed concern over Tesla‘s current direction.
“At Tesla, I was there for three years from 2009 through to 2012, and at that stage Tesla was truly at the cutting edge, developing the most advanced technology with a clarity of vision and purpose, and an absolute singularity of mindset,” Rawlinson said.
Before joining Tesla, Rawlinson worked for several well-known companies, including Jaguar, where he was the Principal Engineer, and Lotus, where he was the Chief Engineer.
NEVER MISS AN UPDATE
“What I’m seeing now is a worrying trend towards a sort of distraction. Tesla seems to be distracted, there’s an interest in social media, even politics, and it’s kind of losing its way. I don’t see it having that singular sense of purpose, and I think it really falls to Lucid to take the technology to a whole new level now.”
Rawlinson further emphasized the importance of focus in leadership for the electric vehicle industry.
“I think it is very concerning and as I say, I think there’s a clear distraction there from the leadership which perhaps doesn’t best serve those who are looking for an electric future. People rally to a sense of mission, and Lucid has that mission,” he added.
The electric vehicle startup is reportedly gearing up to announce a partnership providing Hyundai’s premium brand, Genesis, with electric motors.
The collaboration aims to accelerate the development of a new all-electric sports car slated for a 2025 launch by Genesis. Additionally, Hyundai plans to release the GV90, an electric sport utility vehicle from Genesis by late 2025.
NEVER MISS AN UPDATE
As reported by EV on Friday, Lucid is cutting its workforce as part of a restructuring and cost reduction plan, according to former employees and some of the teams affected include vehicle engineering, IT, Human Resources, Powertrain, and Manufacturing.
In a statement, Lucid stated that will see “productivity improvements through a reduction of the Company’s current employee workforce by approximately 400 employees, or approximately 6 percent”.
In the first quarter of the year, the EV maker produced 1,728 units of its Air luxury sedan with deliveries reaching 1,967 vehicles, an increase of 39.9 percent compared to the same period of last year.
Lucid CEO admitted that Chinese OEMs have been improving a lot over the last years while expecting a second wave of improvement as the focus shifts to powertrain technology.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
