Polestar's new CEO Michael Lohscheller is now directly going after Tesla CEO Elon Musk's behavior, which he calls unacceptable. – "You just don't do that," he says.
Polestar's CEO, Michael Lohscheller, has strongly criticized Elon Musk's behavior, calling it "unacceptable." Lohscheller, who is German, particularly distances himself from Musk's support for the right-wing AfD party in Germany.
Lohscheller believes Musk's actions are a mistake that could give Polestar an opportunity to attract dissatisfied Tesla owners.
"For Germany, having someone outside Germany supporting right-wing political parties is a big deal," Lohscheller told Bloomberg .
– You want to know what I think about that? I find that completely unacceptable. Completely unacceptable. You just don't do that. This is pure arrogance, and these things won't work.
The Polestar director is experiencing increasing dissatisfaction among potential customers who distance themselves from Musk's political commitment.
– We get a lot of people writing that they don't like all this, says Lohscheller.
– It's important to listen carefully to what they say. And I can tell you that a lot of people have very, very negative feelings.
However, Lohscheller emphasizes that he recognizes Musk's success with Tesla.
"He has done incredible things with Tesla's cars. But he also believes that Musk's recent actions are a mistake that could damage the Tesla brand," says Lohscheller.
Polestar will now try to exploit the situation to capture customers who want to distance themselves from Musk.
Lohscheller is convinced that Musk's strategy will fail.
"These things won't work," he says.
The Polestar director calls for listening to customers' concerns and taking them seriously. He believes that companies have a responsibility to address societal issues.
– It is important to listen carefully to what they say, says Lohscheller.
Lohscheller is not the only one who has criticized Musk's behavior. Several experts and commentators have pointed out that Musk's actions could damage Tesla's image and sales. But consumers seem to be completely unconcerned.
A new German study shows that one in five drivers would still buy a Tesla, even though Musk is the company's CEO. In fact, it's the world's richest man and his – for some – provocative statements that are getting Germans up in arms and heading to Tesla.
