Inside Tesla Before the World Caught On | MotoMan Podcast #015

For over 30 years, Simon Sproule has been inside the rooms where the biggest decisions in the car industry get made.From working alongside Elon Musk at Tesla…To witnessing the rise and fall of Carlos Ghosn…This is a rare, behind-the-scenes look at how the modern car industry actually works.We go deep into Tesla’s early momentum, what made it different, and why the rest of the industry is still trying to catch up. Along the way, we unpack Ford’s luxury ambitions, Nissan’s comeback, Aston Martin’s brand power, and the decisions that separate the brands that survive from the ones that don’t.This isn’t a highlight reel—it’s a 2.5-hour deep dive into the wins, the mistakes, and the moments that changed everything.CHAPTERS:00:00:00 – Intro to Simon Sproule and the Career Behind the Scenes00:01:19 – Car magazines, dealerships, and the road into Ford00:04:55 – From internal comms to launching an icon00:06:28 – Detroit, Jaguar, and the Premier Automotive Group years00:10:04 – Lincoln, Luxury SUVs, and What Ford Was Chasing00:13:41 – Why Luxury Brands Need Patience, Budget, and Great Designers00:18:18 – Why Ford’s Luxury Dream Started to Crack00:23:13 – Jaguar, Aston Martin, and James Bond00:30:19 – Looking Back at PAG, Land Rover, and the Brands That Made It00:37:37 – The Real Story Behind the Jaguar X-Type00:50:54 – Going to the Nissan Renault Alliance00:53:50 – Nissan’s Comeback, the 350Z, and Infiniti’s Big Moment00:57:38 – Badge engineering, missed chances, and the Europe problem01:03:39 – Carlos Ghosn, the GT-R, and the Power of Halo Cars01:10:15 – Simon Sproule on Ghosn’s Rise, Fall, and the Alliance01:16:37 – The Move to Tesla01:20:35 – Launching Tesla in China and Why Elon Was Different01:29:34 – What Simon Sproule Learned from Elon Musk and Tesla01:39:38 – Why the Car Industry Still Follows Tesla’s Playbook01:50:18 – Aston Martin, Mythology, and Selling Pure Emotion01:56:46 – Does Aston Martin Need a Bigger Owner?02:07:02 – Mythology, Brand Power, and Why People Buy with Emotion02:09:52 – Residuals, Oversupply, and the Ugly Truth About Luxury Cars02:18:51 – Leaving Aston, Stellantis, and Big-Group Politics02:28:38 – Simon Sproule’s 3 Keys to Success and Final Thoughts#Tesla #ElonMusk #CarIndustry #Automotive #Podcast #CarlosGhosn #EV #Nissan #Ford #AstonMartin #LuxuryCars #Business #motomanpodcast For driving adventures & car reviews, before sure to visit us @ https://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsDownload the MotoManTV Podcast @https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOthttps://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcastConnect with our Short Form content here:https://www.instagram.com/motomantv/https://x.com/MotoManTVhttps://www.tiktok.com/@themotomantvhttps://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShortshttps://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClipshttps://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShortshttps://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClipsProudly shot on Sony’s Cinema line of Cameras