Skip advert
Advertisement

'Dyson’s electric car woes show that going it alone is tough'

The sad scrappage of Dyson's electric car plans show just how tough the car industry is to crack, says Steve Fowler

OPINION Dyson

There was a sad and unnecessary tone of  “I told you so” within some areas of the automotive industry when news broke that Dyson had pulled the plug on its plans for an electric car. 

It’s hugely sad for those involved, but it does reveal, yet again, how hard it is to make the car business work.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Best electric cars to buy

I remember former General Motors CEO Dan Akerson talking about a rumoured Apple car back in 2015 and saying: “They’d better think carefully if they want to get into the hard-core manufacturing. We take steel, raw steel, and turn it into a car. They have no idea what they’re getting into if they get into that.”

A bit blunt, but clearly – as the demise of some big names over the years has proven – running a car business is tough. And starting one from scratch? Even tougher. My hope is that the Dyson news doesn’t put off entrepreneurs and companies from entering the car market – especially in this new era of autonomous, connected, electrified and shared (ACES) vehicles.

Thankfully, we’re not short of new brands promising great things. We’ll see Lynk & Co – with the backing of Volvo and Geely – in the next couple of years, while Pininfarina is taking on the supercar elite under the wing of the giant Mahindra group. Rivian has support from Ford and Amazon, while Byton has significant Chinese backing. Going it alone is not the best option.

Unless you’re Tesla... This week’s news about Dyson also highlights the incredible job Tesla has done over its relatively short lifetime with little involvement from (but a lot of watching by) established automotive players. 

Sure, there are plenty of people who question the firm’s sustainability and whether it will ever make money; Bob Lutz, another former GM boss, said only a year ago that Tesla was “heading to the graveyard”. But the firm is still here, making award-winning cars and shaking up the market like nothing else. Let it be an inspiration to more start-ups.

Do you agree with Steve's comments? Let us know in the comments below...

Skip advert
Advertisement

Steve Fowler has previously edited Auto Express, Carbuyer, DrivingElectric, What Car?, Autocar and What Hi-Fi? and has been writing about cars for the best part of 30 years. 

Find a car with the experts

Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Future of Nissan in the UK: new Gigafactory to power bold EV plans
Future of Nissan in the UK - header with Phil McNamara

Future of Nissan in the UK: new Gigafactory to power bold EV plans

Nissan is about to go from building the Qashqai hybrid to three fresh EVs in the UK over the next three years – all powered by a new gigafactory
Features
19 Apr 2025
New baby Nissan Juke EV on the way to challenge the Dacia Spring
Baby Nissan Juke exclusive image - rear

New baby Nissan Juke EV on the way to challenge the Dacia Spring

Nissan to fast-track development of new battery-powered city car to take on forthcoming Volkswagen ID.1, and our exclusive images preview how it could…
News
18 Apr 2025
New Renault Clio prepares for launch: And it's not an EV
Renault Clio Mk6 (camouflaged) - front 3/4 tracking

New Renault Clio prepares for launch: And it's not an EV

The Clio isn’t going anywhere despite the reemergence of the Renault 5
News
22 Apr 2025