With the Republicans likely to slash support for electric vehicles at every turn (Ferry, 2025), automakers will need to work much harder to market their wares in the next few years. What would be particularly helpful is the emergence of a modern-day George Romney who is exceptionally effective in championing EVs with the public. So far I see two possibilities, which I will talk about in a moment.
For years Elon Musk played a key role in popularizing EVs, but his recent hyper-partisanship may very well have permanently destroyed his credibility with a substantial portion of the public most likely to consider buying an EV. So who else might plausibly step into that role?
No one at the Big Three automakers, which appear to be pivoting away from EVs toward hybrids or even a revival of Hemi V8 engines. Much the same could be said of foreign automakers ranging from Volkswagen to Nissan. Toyota may finally be bringing out more EVs, but it has been consistently skeptical about electrifying the automotive fleet.
Is RJ Scaringe the most likely EV champion?
Among the EV startups, Rivian head RJ Scaringe would seem to have the greatest potential to emerge as a leader. He has been prolific in his media outreach and has pointed to the importance of EVs in responding to climate change. For example, he has argued that Rivian isn’t just another automaker but one dedicated to creating “products and services that help our planet transition to carbon neutral energy and transportation” (Johnson, 2024b).
Scaringe sounds a lot like Musk in his prime, but thus far Rivian sales have arguably been hamstrung by starting off with the fairly large and expensive R1 truck and sport-utility vehicles. I think that was a big mistake, but it could be rectified in 2026 when a smaller and cheaper R2 is expected to be ready for production (Dorian, 2025).
Hyundai has been among the most aggressive of the legacy automakers in expanding its EV lineup, and the CEO of its U.S. operations — Randy Parker — has been given an Industry Influencer Award by the Automotive Hall of Fame (2025).
Parker has tried to position Hyundai as more committed to EVs than other legacy automakers. For example, last year he asked, “Why would anybody want to purchase an EV from an [automaker like Toyota or GM] who’s lobbying against EVs?” He went on to say to The Electric that if “a person is thinking about buying an EV, I think you want to go to a company who is fully committed to selling EVs in the United States” (Johnson, 2024a).
This is a useful marketing point that could help to win over more environmentally-oriented car buyers who in the past would have gravitated to Tesla. However, as far as I can tell Parker has yet to emphasize the importance of electrifying the automotive fleet in order to respond to climate change.
Could Tesla again become the leading voice for EVs?
And what about Tesla? If Musk kept his mouth shut about politics might he be able to both rehabilitate his automaker’s reputation and cultivate broader public interest in EVs? Marketing experts have tended to express doubt that this is possible.
For example, Rob Walker (2025) of Fast Company argued that “given how singularly the Musk personal brand is intertwined with Tesla’s, the most obvious solution would be to get some daylight between the two.” That might ideally include Musk exiting the company and cashing out his holdings.
Musk recently stated that he expected to remain CEO for the next five years but suggested that he needed voting control of the company. “I can’t be sitting there, and one day I get tossed out for political reasons by activists” (Strumpf, 2025).
What Musk doesn’t mention is the possibility that a year from now Tesla’s fortunes have significantly declined primarily because of his continued unpopularity. If the company’s board responded by pushing him out, his successor might be able to begin rebuilding Tesla’s reputation.
That doesn’t currently appear to be in the cards, so the most likely public champions of EVs in the next few years may be Scaringe and Parker.
Share your reactions to this post with a comment below or a note to the editor.
RE:SOURCES
- Automotive Hall of Fame; 2025. “Where we live: Randy Parker.” Accessed June 13.
- Dorian, Drew; 2025. “2026 Rivian R2.” Car and Driver. Accessed June 12.
- Ferry, David; 2025. “Congress ends the road for EV support.” E&E News. Posted May 23.
- Johnson, Peter; 2024. “Hyundai US boss calls out the competition as the brand goes ‘all in’ on electric vehicles.” Electrek. Posted April 8.
- ——; 2024. “Rivian CEO issues urgent memo to confront existential threat of climate change.” Electrek. Posted Nov. 12.
- Steumpf, Rob; 2025. “‘Unless I Die’: Elon Musk Says He’ll Still Be Tesla CEO In 5 Years.” Inside EVs. Posted May 20.
- Walker, Rob; 2025. “Can the Tesla brand be saved?” Fast Company. Posted April 18.
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- oldcaradvertising.com: Rambler (1956)
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- Rivian Automotive photos
EVs have a far greater problem than just who is/can be their promotional hero. Do not count on wide public acceptance as there are way too many issues. Right now we have a loaner Cadillac Lyriq that we cannot wait to give back. 45 hours to recharge from 20% to 80% using a regular 110 outlet.
EVs already get an effective subsidy since they pay zero fuel taxes to keep up the roads.
The marketplace is speaking if anyone will bother to listen. California’s politicians are too deaf to hear it.
What’s missing from your analysis is how can civilization adequately respond to climate change if you leave it entirely to the magic of the marketplace. Of course, you can pretend that climate change is a hoax, but that goes against what may very well be the largest body of scientific evidence ever developed by scholars from around the world. As a reminder, Indie Auto is not a vehicle for trafficking in fossil fuel-industry propaganda.
The bottom line is that some social problems caused by the auto industry require regulation to solve. And while automakers may get a temporary reprieve from the Trump administration, that won’t make climate change go away — it will simply kick the can down the road. And make life more complicated for automakers given that other major markets are not ditching their climate change regulations (although I think it inevitable that timelines will see some adjustment).
When it comes to deafness, I would suggest that the auto industry has suffered from it far more than “California’s politicians,” who have at least grounded their policies in science. The industry has been dragging its feet for literally decades on climate change. If they continue to do so they may very well end up in court like the tobacco industry.
You are attempting to defy what real people, using real money, of their own free will are doing. Call it voting with their wallet. High and mighty “greater good” only goes so far.
Auto makers are in the business to make and sell what people want/will buy. And, done at a profit. Anything else is crap. Oh, every so often they decide it is a show showing for some virtue signalling but that does not change mission one. To expect otherwise is not reality for the auto industry or others.
You have done a nice job of summarizing why the U.S. automakers experienced one of the biggest industrial collapses of the last century.
If Tesla is to survive and thrive, Elon Musk should step away from Tesla. Unfortunately, his foray into politics has impaired the Tesla brand. However, there’s more than politics at play here. Tesla had made two strategic blunders. First, the unconventional CyberTruck. It appears there’s a niche market at best for the odd looking, ungainly truck, somewhat akin to the original Hummer Humvee. It wasn’t until GM took control of the Hummer brand and introduced tamer, more family friendly products that it increased its marketplace presence. GM is doing this again with the GMC Hummer models. It remains to be seen if these more mainstream electrics along with the more conventional looking Rivian will outsell the CyberTruck. Also, Scout will be coming to market soon. Between a more modestly priced Rivian and the Scout, Tesla will then be challenged on its SUV models as well its CyberTruck.
The second problem is a lower priced entry level Tesla sedan. Simply put, You can’t go mainstream without going down market. If you want volume, it’s going to take a lower priced vehicle.
As far as a George Romney clone to lead the charge toward electrics, that’s an excellent analogy. Compacts were considered a second, not a primary family vehicle. Thus far, most US consumers perceive and use electric vehicles as a secondary, not as a primary vehicle. Range remains a primary concern for electric vehicle adoption in the US. The US market is interstate dependent. The charging infrastructure and vehicle range severely limit electric vehicles adoption.
So, who should be the electric vehicle industry Romney-liked spokesperson? My vote would be RJ Scaringe. Not as over the top as Musk.
Tesla will soon be challenged on two fronts.
Second
I live in NW Illinois and often go to the Quad Cities area or SW Wisconsin, not exactly a clean and green bastion. I can’t recognize mainstream hybrids or EVs but I regularly see Tesla Model 3s. I’ve seen like one Rivian (made in Illinois mind you). The Tesla 3 seems roughly competitive on price but quite honestly I have no idea where I’d go to get a Tesla or Rivian. Look, I’m 73 and and have no understanding of modern marketing. However AMC hammered away in print and TV about gas guzzling dinosaurs and the Rambler’s features. EV supporters for the most part lean left. Even if Musk left tomorrow (hopefully for Mars) it would take a long time for a credible spokesman from Tesla. Rivian still is hardly known outside of gearheads, and the biggest news from them is that their doors are still open.
I agree that Rivian hasn’t yet broken through like Tesla. Perhaps that will happen with the introduction of the R2 . . . of course, assuming that Rivian will have enough capital to get there despite all of the headwinds that the EV market will face in the coming year or so.
At least in theory, the R2 could put Rivian on the map because it will supposedly be competitive price-wise with the Tesla Model Y and have a more conventional design that may appeal to a broader range of buyers. If it comes across as a competent car, the R2 could become for at least some folks the Tesla alternative for those who no longer want anything to do with Musk.
RJ has not struck me as having the charisma of Elon, but perhaps the public may be growing tired of the latter’s mercurial persona and find comfort in RJ’s corn-fed normalness.
It feels to me like the zeitgeist has shifted away from Musk and that he either doesn’t realize it yet or won’t admit it in public. So we may see over the next year or so the unpleasant sight of Tesla losing altitude in ways that Musk can no longer paper over with big promises and bullying his critics. If Musk doesn’t step away on his own, I assume that the board will eventually have to make a move. However, based on its behavior to date, I would not be surprised that this happens well after it is too late. Perhaps it already is.
I see a fair number of Rivians in Southern California, especially around Newport Beach (an area that had a lot of early adopter Tesla owners.) The current lease offer on a Model 3 is an attempt to increase sales as the market has turned away from supporting Musk.
We keep being told to conserve energy… yet California is trying to ban gas appliances in favor of electric ones; it’s been trying to mandate electric cars to the point of banning ICE engines… yet they have cut homeowner benefits for having solar panels (especially if yours are over 20 years old.). In my neighborhood, a couple of houses or a business is torn down and a group of three story townhomes are built in its place. So many are building ADUs on their lots. I don’t see how the grid can support increasing the consumption of electricity to that degree.
Electric car ownership makes the most sense if you can charge at home overnight using 240v (dryer plug). As others have noted, an electric car makes a great second car, but maybe one that you lease rather than buy. I was an early adopter, driving one from 2013 to 2019. There are more choices now, but I am not too crazy about any of them.
When electric cars were starting out (in this century) it was pretty much the Model S, a Nissan Leaf, or a few other compliance cars (M-IEV, later on Fiat 500e, eGolf… this is before the Bolt and before the Model 3.) Musk had many years of being the standard bearer for electric cars. Now there are so many manufacturers offering so many electric models. Some have distinctive styling while others are variations on ICE models. Set aside the electric part… I am having a hard time thinking of current people who are influencing the car industry in the way that Romney did. Who’s the Bill Mitchell? (Or the Chris Bangle?) Who are today’s true believers?
That brings up an interesting point: My post is an example of how the American auto history field tends to analyze the past through the lens of the “great person” theory of change, where it takes a man or woman of exceptional capabilities to lead a company to success. Yet the Japanese automakers have illustrated how a less personality-focused governance can be more effective.
Might U.S.-based startups such as DeLorean and Kaiser have had a greater chance of survival if their governance had been less centered around a charismatic leader who had the unchecked power to make crucial mistakes?
I would argue that the American automakers started using techniques and practices from the Japanese automakers. The NUMMI plant (now the Tesla plant) is just one example. I have not done the reading but the “just in time” parts delivery system came from Toyota. Unsure about the extent to which American automakers have changed their management and decision making strategies. Does the nail that sticks out still get hammered down?
Did Chrysler-Dodge-Ram learn or change from its previous merger with Daimler (Mercedes Benz)?
I doubt anyone is buying a GM because Mary Barra is at the helm. It will be interesting to see what the new guy at Stellantis USA will do besides put a V8 in everything.
I am wondering that unless you are a scion of Henry Ford or Ferry Porsche or that stylish guy over at Fiat (Elkann- Agnelli family), how would one become a standard bearer? In today’s parlance, is that an influencer? I don’t mean that sarcastically. The corporations are so big with so many levels of management, and with a lot more regulations to meet, regulations that change with the political winds.
Did you ever really enjoy working on a committee? Art is not produced by committee. Different topic, but the rise of management by committee stifles the visionary.
I think that Elon Musk is so strongly identified with EVs that it will take someone singular to succeed him in the public eye as the champion of the EV.
Bill Mitchell was the last Emperor of a car design operation. When he retired the GM board made sure he was the last. But, Mitchell’s accomplishments were achieved because he had the best leadership bench and depth of staff.
As for Bangle, far better at self promotion with designy speak than actual results.
For a while Tom Gale had the design leadership role in the US. That went away with the MB takeover.
The head of design for Kia, Hyundai. Genesis may be the leader currently. Does some press but is not a front and center in the public eye like some others have been.
I forgot the BMW i3; the range extender is a feature that should be on EVs, especially trucks and occasional tow vehicles. I believe the Scout is being offered with one.
I eould avoid using DeLorean as a reference. His car was flawed from the beginning to its inevitable end.
As for the concept of the “great person” I think there is a broader discussion for topic. To do the start up takes a vision and undying commitment that comes from the leader. Who might be around that person so there is some counterbalance that they will listen too might be a worthwhile point of discussion. In the longer term there needs to be a transition from the sole great entrepreneur leader into a professional management.
One might make a good argument that the failing of the great leader is when their “hot hand” of decisions cools but they refuse to believe it has happened.
GM would have never happened without Durant. Lucky for the company there was Sloan to take it forward.
Henry Ford is another case of the hot hand until it wasn’t but he had surrounded himself with those who had only loyalty to him.
Time and tide wait for no man.
Love him or hate him, Elon Musk has done something unusual that hasn’t been done in the last century or so, which is to start up an automobile manufacturer from the ground up. He recognized the range anxiety issue was to be mitigated with a whole network of charging stations that would add value to his product. I don’t imagine other large corporations doing the same thing, even as some of them have the resources to do so. Musk’s recent foray into politics has dented his former charm and appreciably damaged the sales for his vehicles, too. While the Models S, 3, X and Y are all seemingly logical expressions of current trends, the Cybertruck has been a miscalculation and another dent to the Tesla brand.
So, who will be the champion for electric vehicles? Ultimately, I think it will be the folks driving them. No influencer will have enough clout to get most people out of their petroleum fueled vehicles; but like the VW’s of the 50’s and the Japanese cars of the 60’s & 70’s, it will be a grass roots phenomenon.
Or, it won’t. But my gut feeling is that once more and more EVs get out into the ecosystem and with expected improvements, there will be more folks adopting them.
Why are so many overlooking the EVs and hybrids from the Koreans (Hyundai / Kia) and the Japanese ? (i am very much anti-Communist China so I am not a potential customer of any vehicle with Red Chinese origins and / or content.) Regardless of the climate-deniers and Fox News addicts, global warming is is real. (I used to be an associate member of the American Meteorological Society (1974-1999…I minored in Physics at Rose Polytechnic, now Rose-Hulman) which tracks global temperatures annually, but any student of earth sciences knows that the axis of the Earth “wobbles” from its approximate 23-degrees, so climate change is on-going FOREVER.) (I am NOT trying to add a political element here, but scientific measurements on agreed upon standards are scientific facts until disproven inaccurate or unreliable.) While I am not a fan of Toyota either, Priuses are amazing cars.
George Wilcken Romney (1907-1995) came to Nash-Kelvinator in 1948, from the American Automobile Manufacturers Association (1939-1948) as was a known quantity to George Mason when he joined the Detroit-Kenosha company. Romney became the A.M.A.’s chief spokesperson, so unlike most auto execs, Romney was experienced in communicating the messages he wanted to deliver, which later served Romney well when he entered politics in 1961 at the Michigan state constitutional convention. Every other U.S. auto manufacturer spokespeople did not have Romney’s skill set in the 1950s and early 1960s, leaving it to P.R. and ad agencies to deliver the messages. The closest thing to George Romney in my opinion was the late Ross Perot, who communicated to any people who would listen how Roger B. Smith was destroying General Motors in the mid-1980s after joining G.M.’s board in the mid-1980s. Many might think Lee Iacocca was a great spokesperson, but I think he was lucky to have Hal Sperlich at Chrysler in product planning to give him products to sell. If Rick Wagoner were around after 2009, he might have been far more influential, but his association with G.M.’s bailout destroyed his legacy.