Oct. 30, 2025 11:25 pm EST Stefano Guidi/Getty Images Carlos Tavares has been out as CEO of Stellantis for about a year now, and in the time away he busied himself by writing a book, entertainingly titled in French Un pilote dans la tempête ("A Pilot in the Storm," although you could perhaps render "storm" as "tempest" and better capture Tavares' tenure). He has been commenting on the current state of the auto industry and in a recent report he offered some thoughts on Elon Musk and his destiny. Pool/Getty Images Like many others in the industry, Tavares singles out BYD for its rapid progress and the potentially existential quandary the Chinese company poses for Tesla. "I'm not sure that Tesla will still exist in 10 years," he reportedly said. "It's an innovative group, but they'll be beaten by BYD's efficiency." That sounds like an extreme prediction, but unless Tesla can convert itself into being a market-leading provider of autonomy and robotaxis, the company could settle into being just a moderately profitable mass-market EV manufacturer. And struggle to maintain its position against a host of rivals. To prove Tavares and others naysayers wrong, Musk might need to accept that he's still running a carmaker and make a few concessions to that fact. For example, by introducing some appealing vehicles in different segments. A proper pickup truck, replacing the exotic and unsuccessful Cybertruck. A true three-row SUV. A revamp of the Model S, so that Tesla continues to sell a high-quality EV sedan that appeals to luxury buyers. Tavares as gadfly