EXCLUSIVE: Sandy Munro Talks Golf Carts, Arcimoto, Tesla And More On 'Raz Report'

Sandy Munro, CEO of Munro & Associates, appeared on Benzinga's "Raz Report" with Jason Raznick for an exclusive interview.

Munro spent 10 years working at Ford Motor Co F until he was advised that he could make more money and have more fun with his talents elsewhere.

He was happy and moved up very quickly at Ford, but said he decided to take the advice and move on with his career.

The Golf Cart Revolution: Club Car approached Munro and asked how much it would cost to have him redesign the company's golf cart, he said.

He didn't play golf and had never seen one of the company's golf carts before, but he gave them a price and 18 months later he completed a full redesign of the product, Munro said.

He researched the product prior to the redesign in order to understand the needs of customers, he said.

Munro told Benzinga that the initial build of the product before the redesign was "crap," adding that it had steering and handling issues and would often flip over during operation.

When he took his redesigned product to the Professional Golf Association's convention, people lined up to see the golf cart, he said.

Club Car placed its new product next to the competition and invited people to "come see the difference," Munro told Benzinga.

The company was able to sell an entire year's worth of production in about one day during the convention, he noted.

Listen to the podcast here.

Munro On Arcimoto: The electric vehicle company Arcimoto Inc FUV aims to make affordable, ultra-efficient vehicles that are fun to drive.

The company's flagship fun utility vehicle product is just that, Munro told Benzinga.

The product is going to appeal to people who are looking to get from point A to point B in a fun vehicle, he added.

Arcimoto announced a strategic partnership with Munro in 2020 in which he will be working to lower the company's costs and accelerate its scaling abilities.

An Elon Musk Story: While visiting Arcimoto in Oregon, Munro received an invitation to go visit with Tesla Inc TSLA CEO Elon Musk.

He was driving a Tesla during his travels, Munro said, adding that the car rerouted him as he began driving through the mountains.

The Tesla identified a blizzard and rerouted Munro, which he said saved him from a blizzard that brought around 42 inches of snowfall.

Munro arrived in Brownsville, Texas and toured Musk's SpaceX launch facility before having a private conversation with the Tesla CEO.

Munro told Benzinga that the two discussed the future of electric vehicles and general engineering principles.

Munro noted that Musk "laughed his ass off" at the fact that Munro's team was filming exclusively on iPhones, as opposed to using more advanced cameras.

Musk then invited Munro to join him in a design meeting for the SpaceX Falcon rocket, in which Munro made one design suggestion before heading out, tired from the long day.

On the way out, he said he related to a sign that read "nothing world-changing was ever done in a 40-hour work week," Munro told Benzinga. 

No More Mirrors: Munro believes that mirrors should be removed from all vehicles.

Mirrors are a drag, he said, adding that he thinks vehicles should use cameras with surround views that tell the driver exactly what is going on all around the vehicle. 

There is always going to be a blindspot with mirrors, but cameras have the ability to completely eliminate blindspots, Munro emphasized. 

How Far Ahead Is Tesla? Munro broke down where he believes Tesla stands versus its competition:

• Body and Chassis: one to two years behind.
• Battery Technology: five years ahead.
• Electric Motors and Powertrain: five years ahead.
• Electronics: eight to 10 years ahead.

Munro went on to answer questions about the Tesla Cybertruck, the Tesla Model S Plaid, car body modifications, battery materials, vehicle reports and more.