Lucid Motors’ interim CEO Marc Winterhoff recently shared some of his thoughts on rival EV maker Tesla, which is arguably the world’s undisputed leader in electric cars. As per the interim CEO, Lucid is actually seeing quite a bit of business from former Tesla owners. 

Winterhoff noted that part of this is due to the Tesla Model S, which has gotten very long in the tooth.

Lucid CEO’s remarks

During his interview with the Financial Times, the Lucid interim CEO admitted that the company is climbing an uphill battle. He also discussed Uber’s increasing stake in Lucid, as well as the rid-hailing giant’s order for 20,000 units of the Lucid Gravity, a competitor to the Tesla Model X. The executive highlighted that Lucid’s next stage will hinge on the release of its affordable Model Y fighter as well, which should cost about $50,000. 

Most interestingly, Winterhoff stated that Lucid is actually seeing a boost in sales from Tesla owners who have been turned off by the company’s aging lineup and Elon Musk’s political activities. “We have seen an uptick, that’s definitely the case, in Europe and also here in the US,” Winterhoff stated. 

The Lucid interim CEO specifically pointed to the Model S as an example of Tesla’s aging lineup. As per the executive, the Model S age is one of the reasons why customers are looking for other options, like the Lucid Air. “The Model S, nothing has changed in 12 years now. . . (customers) are actively looking for other options,” he said. 

Tesla Model S and Model X

In a way, the Tesla Model S and Model X are indeed long in the tooth, though Winterhoff’s comment about the all-electric sedan not changing for 12 years is inaccurate. The Model S received its Plaid upgrade in 2021, and it was refreshed earlier this year. While the car itself still has a similar body as its first iteration, practically everything under the hood and inside the cabin of the Model S has changed over the years.

That being said, sales of the Model S and Model X have fallen significantly since their peak. Thus, it would be a good idea for Tesla to put some effort and love into making its flagship sedan and SUV more attractive to consumers. For now, Tesla is putting in some effort into the two vehicles, as shown in the “Luxe” package it recently released for the Model S and Model X.

Elon Musk has slammed media outlet Sky News for publishing a misleading headline surrounding an invitation he received from the late Jefferey Epstein, who is infamous for allegedly orchestrating a global trafficking ring.

Despite indicating in its article that Musk was just invited to the island, Sky News nevertheless ran with a headline saying that the CEO was “named” in the latest Epstein files release.

Sky News’ article

As could be seen in Sky News’ own article, which had a headline that read “Elon Musk and Prince Andrew named in latest Epstein files release,” Musk’s name came out on Epstein’s daily schedule back in 2014. “Reminder: Elon Musk to island Dec.6 (is this still happening?)” The entry read. 

Sky News then provided some context on the entry: “They show Musk as a potential visitor to Epstein’s island, Little St James, on 6 December 2014 – six years after Epstein became a listed sex offender.”

Interestingly, while the latest release also named Prince Andrew, who does appear in Epstein’s flight logs, Sky News nonetheless opened its article by discussing Musk. It also used Musk’s photo as its featured image for its article.

Musk slams Sky News

Sky News’ framing of the story and its use of Elon Musk as a header image on its article did not escape X’s Community Notes, which proceeded to state that the CEO was only invited by the controversial figure. Interestingly enough, the media outlet also disabled replies to its post amid criticism from the social media platform’s users. Musk himself slammed Sky News for its misleading angle. 

“Shame on Sky News for this utterly misleading headline. Anyone pushing this false narrative deserves complete contempt. Epstein tried to get me to go to his island and I REFUSED, yet they name me even before Prince Andrew, who did visit,” Musk wrote in a post on X. 

Despite Musk’s comments and Sky News getting Community Noted, the media outlet’s story has been used as yet another piece of ammo by the CEO’s critics. As highlighted by broadcaster Mehdi Raza Hasan on X:

“Such a bad week for Musk – he spends years obsessing over pedophiles only for the NYT to accuse his dad of being one and him knowing about it, and now Epstein asking in a file if Musk was coming to visit him on the island. Sheesh,” Hasan wrote in a post.

Electric cars are increasingly visible on Sweden’s roads, but how quickly they find buyers varies widely. New data from Blocket, compiled for CarUp, has shown that while the average used EV takes longer to sell than a diesel car, the Tesla Model Y is bucking the trend in a notable way. 

The popular SUV is selling in just nine days on average, faster than any diesel model on the market.

Used Model Y leads

Blocket’s statistics show nearly 18,500 used EVs currently listed in Sweden. On average, the 20 most popular electric cars take 22 days to sell, about six days longer than diesel vehicles. But some models tend to find buyers in substantially different timeframes. The Mini Cooper Electric and Volkswagen ID.3 find buyers in roughly 11 days, while some EVs like the EV6 take a whopping 39 days to sell. 

The Tesla Model Y, thanks to its attractive price in the second hand market and its popularity, sells in just nine days, several days faster than both the EV average and the fastest diesel option, the Volvo V50.

Marcin Stepman, car expert at Blocket, noted that attractive prices are driving Model Y demand, though recent reports have stated that used Tesla prices are rising again in Sweden. “Right now you can actually buy two used Model Y Long Range with low miles for the same price as a new one,” he said.

An uneven market for other EVs

While the Model Y moves quickly, other electric cars take much longer to sell. The Kia EV6, BMW iX3, and Nissan Leaf often sit on listings for over a month before finding buyers. Models such as the Volvo C40 and Cupra Born typically move in 24–26 days, while the Citroën e-C4 and Tesla’s own Model 3, which is pretty much the sedan version of the Model Y, sell in around 20 days.

The data highlights apparent differences in demand from used car buyers. While interest in electric vehicles is growing, the demand is not evenly distributed across all models. The Tesla Model Y’s performance highlights how brand strength and resale pricing can accelerate turnover, while less in-demand models face longer listing periods in the used car market.