Former Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares recently commented that it’s a possibility that Elon Musk could have Tesla abandon the auto industry to focus on robotics, artificial intelligence or assisting SpaceX’s ventures. Aside from declining car sales and a nearly endless string of vehicle recalls, there’s no reason Tesla couldn’t continue selling cars while building spaceships. Let’s not forget that Chrysler once had its own space division and bid to design the Space Shuttle.
What automakers should start building spaceships? It might seem like the automotive and aerospace industries inhabit two different planets, but the two are closer than you would think. Obviously, Tesla and SpaceX share a CEO, but that’s only the surface of the iceberg. Earlier this year, Honda successfully conducted a test of its own experimental reusable rocket in Japan. The rocket soared to an altitude of almost 890 feet before safely touching down. While nowhere close to the edge of space, it’s a decent starting point for Honda.
Porsche is already envisioning its own spaceships
Porsche would be a strong choice. The German automaker has shown in multiple instances that it envisioned its vehicles hurtling among the stars, at least in fiction. Porsche partnered with Lucasfilm in 2019 to design a spaceship to help promote “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” The 911-maker would head back to the drawing board in 2024 to create another spacecraft with video game developer Naughty Dog. The protagonist bounty hunter of the yet-to-be-released “Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet” will pilot a Porsche 984 Tempest NDX starship around a late 20th-century-style sci-fi universe. While the German manufacturer might be struggling with declining sales, there’s always money in government launch contracts, so it could be profitable to turn its spacefaring dreams into reality.
Please leave your suggestions in the comments section below. Be sure to include why you believe the automaker would be best suited to build spaceships.
