- As Lucid Motors faces a historic year, interim CEO Mark Winterhoff was frank about one thing the automaker got wrong about electric vehicles: marketing.
- Winterhoff said car companies don’t emphasize enough the inherent strengths of electric cars, such as performance and interior space.
- Can car companies learn from this mistake as they face a slower year of sales in the US?
For a long time, the main reason to buy an electric car was to help the planet, or at least stop paying for gasoline. The earliest modern electric cars were marketed as environmentally friendly alternatives to gas-powered cars, even if that meant significant tradeoffs in practicality, long-distance driving, and even highway speeds.
All this has already begun to change with the advent of… Tesla Model Swhich ditched device feedback to work with the likes of Porsche and Mercedes-Benz. Sure, the environmental benefits were there, but Model S owners got much more.
Maybe automakers lost that memo somewhere along the line. Speaking at CES 2026 last week, another electric car company’s interim CEO, Mark Winterhof, said… Lucid MotorsHe lamented the fact that the auto industry as a whole may not have found the right message to sell electric vehicles.
“I think everyone you ask in this field will say that the electric car is the best platform for (self-driving vehicles),” Winterhoff said in an interview about the company’s project. A new driverless taxi project with Nuro and Uber. “I want to go a little further. An electric car is not only a better platform for robotaxis, it’s a better car.”
Photography: Patrick George
Winterhoff, who took over the CEO role from Lucid founder Peter Rawlinson last year, jokingly admitted he “should” say that. His company is all-electric, and another executive might provide an answer about “Consumer choice” Instead. But he acknowledged that the auto industry as a whole has been too focused on marketing electric vehicles based on sustainability and environmental concerns, which doesn’t resonate with many mainstream buyers simply looking for value.
“I think what we need to do is explain the superiority of this technology better than we have unfortunately done,” Winterhoff said, referring not only to Lucid but to the industry as a whole.
Naturally, he pointed to the Lucid Gravity Grand Touring SUV as an example. “Compare what you get from an electric car with a really competitive internal combustion engine (ICE) car,” he said. Winterhoff said he recently researched his car’s specifications compared to luxury gas-powered competitors, and was surprised by what he discovered.
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Source: Patrick George
“When you look at the specs, our real rivals are the Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 or the likes of the BMW
Considering that the Gravity Grand Touring has an EPA-rated range of 450 miles, and that these gas options deliver roughly 17-21 mpg with their larger engines, he’s pretty much right. Motor Trend The Cayenne GTS produces about 427 miles in EPA-estimated fuel economy, for example, he says. This Lamborghini is identical to the Gravity Grand Touring lineup, however Really only in hybrid form. And if you want fuel economy from an X7, you probably shouldn’t opt for the twin-turbo V8 version.
“Then you compare specs, acceleration and interior space,” Winterhoff added, asserting that the 828-horsepower SUV with minivan-like interior volume (with a roomy trunk) and 3.3-second 0-60 mph time more or less beat those cars. He also said that although EV critics will argue that you can fill up ICE vehicles anywhere, a 450-mile road trip is still “once or twice a year” for many buyers. “And I still need to stop for a break after 400 miles,” he said.
Sure, this is one example from an automaker, and they’re using a car that starts at around $95,000. But Winterhoff’s point is that automakers with electric options need to emphasize the specifications they offer.
He said: “We have said that electric cars are sustainable, while the internal combustion engine is not, but if you focus on the specifications that you get, I think that is what we need to do as an electric car industry to get through the current winter that we are experiencing.”
This can be difficult for an industry that’s often centered around doing the same things you’ve always done, and She expects customers to simply show up for the same types of products she’s always built. Even in the case of Lucid, much of its early marketing Centered around “efficiency” It is a vague term that does not fully convey its true benefits to major car buyers.
In the case of traditional automakers that are foraying into electric vehicles, you don’t often hear them stressing these cars’ better performance or almost complete lack of maintenance. This isn’t the best look for their existing gas models, which are pretty much what they are Earnings delivery now. The entire space has suffered from misinformation about everything Long battery life to Their pressure on the electrical grid. Multiple studies show Which car dealers can have a hard time knowingOr even interest in transporting electric cars.
Maybe Winterhoff is right, and automakers of all stripes need to focus on the specs and reality of the electric vehicle experience — especially as the entire space moves across from expensive spaceships to more affordable options. And at the end of this year, Lucid It is expected that the first of several new models will be revealed Tesla is targeting the Model Y, bringing its prices to a much wider audience than ever before.
Meanwhile, electric vehicle sales in America are expected to slow without the $7,500 tax credit and weak fuel economy rules delaying the urgent need for electric vehicle development. But Winterhoff said he continues to make progress in this area, and the various lessons that automakers are learning from their early mistakes, make him optimistic in the long term about a sales recovery.
“I actually like the term winter for electric vehicles, because last time I checked, after every winter there’s a spring,” he said.
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com
