Yahoo Autos Is Elon Musk More of a Henry Ford or a Preston Tucker?
As we have reached the end of the Summer of Elon Musk-sleepless nights in the Fremont plant, toke sessions with Joe Rogan, fraud charges from the SEC settled, and, finally, his recusal from his chairman's role-it seems an appropriate time to consider his place in automotive history. There is no doubt that Tesla's Elon Musk is a towering and resonant figure in today's car business, in whatever role he will play in his company going forward. He has done what other carmakers couldn't-namely, popularize the EV-through a relentless campaign of lofty pronouncements and real-deal technology, even though the company has yet to turn an annual profit. So, the question confronts us: Is he our modern-day Henry Ford or our 21st-century Preston Tucker?
In the Ford column is his vision for a new kind of American mobility. Musk clearly sees the big picture, and he has built not just a car but, like Ford, a new way of thinking about how it could be built and how it would change driving. His method for sustaining that car, through a network of proprietary Supercharger stations and his battery joint venture with Panasonic, speaks to his Master of the Universe aspirations.
He is also a survivor. One wonders how Henry Ford would have fared with armies of short sellers, stock analysts, and internet trolls storming his Fairlane castle.
But, like Tucker, Musk hasn't gone all the way. He hasn't made a profit on the cars themselves, and his dreams of fully commercializing the EV and its technologies may be the work of other, more established carmakers such as Porsche, Audi, Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz. Like Tucker, he has been plagued by production setbacks and SEC inquiries. Also, we'd do well to remember that it was Preston Tucker, not Elon Musk, who first had the idea to raise car-development funds from prospective buyers through his Accessories program.
What isn't in question is this: We're sure to be talking about Musk long after he dies. But whether we'll be talking about him as the father of the modern car or a fascinating footnote remains to be seen.
Your thoughts?
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