Elon Musk Plays Down Lucid CEO's Role With Tesla, Says Rawlinson Was 'Never Chief Engineer'

Tesla Inc. TSLA CEO Elon Musk has downplayed the role of Lucid Motors CEO Peter Rawlinson with his company previously, saying that Rawlinson was “never” chief engineer at Tesla.

What Happened: Musk claimed on Twitter that Rawlinson joined Tesla only after the Model S prototype was made and left the company before “things got tough.”

Musk added that Rawlinson was only responsible for body engineering of the Model S and was not involved with other factors such as production or design of the sedan.

Tesla’s announcement in a blog post way back in April 2010 says Rawlinson was appointed as Vice President and Chief Vehicle Engineer at the company.

The electric vehicle maker also said in the blog post that Rawlinson was responsible for the technical execution as well as delivery of the Model S, and for leading the company’s vehicle engineering team. The all-electric Model S was introduced by Tesla in June 2012.

See Also: Tesla's Musk Responds To Wave Of New Electric Vehicle Manufacturers: 'Prototype Easy, Production Hard'

Why It Matters: According to a report by Forbes, Rawlinson left Tesla in 2012. He currently serves as the CEO and Chief Technology Officer of Lucid Motors, which is seen as a future competitor to Tesla and a player in mass-produced affordable electric vehicles in the future.

Lucid Motors plans to go public via a SPAC merger with SPAC Churchill Capital Corp. IV CCIV. The Newark, California-based company is on track to deliver its first car, the all-electric Lucid Air luxury sedan, in the second half of this year, while the Gravity SUV is scheduled to be released in 2023.

Lucid Motors said in March that the Dream Edition, the more expensive version of its upcoming Air sedan, has been sold out. Delivery of the Dream Edition model could come ahead of Tesla new Model S Plaid Plus, which too claims a range of more than 500 miles on a single charge. Tesla said in March it is delaying delivery of the new Model S Plaid Plus by a few months to mid-2022.

See also: How to Buy Lucid Motors IPO Stock

Price Action: Tesla shares closed almost 3.5% lower in Monday’s regular trading session at 4684.90 and further declined 0.5% in the after-hours session to $681.30.

Churchill Capital shares closed 5.6% lower in Monday’s regular trading session at $19.91, but added 0.2% in the after-hours session to $19.95.

Read Next: How Lucid's Plans For The Future Differ From Rival Tesla

 

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Photo by Gage Skidmore on Flickr

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Posted In: NewsEventsTechelectric vehiclesElon MuskEVslucid motorsPeter RawlinsonTesla Model S
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