How GM needs to persuade automotive consumers to modify to electrical automobiles

Electric Chevrolet Silverado shown at the New York Auto Show, April 2022.

Scott Mill | CNBC

When people think of electric vehicles, they usually think of Tesla. But Elon Musk’s company now has a lot more EV competition from Detroit.

Within the last six years General Motors CEO Mary Barra has been pushing the company towards a full transition from gas vehicles to electric vehicles as offerings and consumer interest increase. GM plans to sell up to 175,000 EVs to Hertz Global by 2027 — Rentals are a key way to introduce more people to EVs without committing to a purchase. And the company was also forced to close reservations for its high-end all-electric Hummer last week after reaching 90,000 people.

ford is on a similar path, and it had to close reservations on its F-150 Lightning pickup, and the automaker also hiked prices on the EV pickup for a second time.

The reservations and price hikes aren’t just about absolute demand levels being off the charts — supply chain constraints and limited production for new models are important factors.

This crowded EV landscape is prompting GM to approach its marketing differently, GM CMO Deborah Wahl told CNBC’s Julia Boorstin at a recent CNBC CMO Exchange virtual event.

“We have to become even smarter,” said Wahl. “There’s more competitive activity, more innovation, I think, than at any time in automotive history since we went from horses to cars.”

The message from the auto giants is clear.

While the economy is in a period of uncertainty and costs come under closer scrutiny as inflation weighs on consumers and impacts purchasing decisions, Wahl told CNBC that GM is focused on core goals and “for us, it’s about the Right now about working on the transformation of the industry towards electric vehicles. We believe electric vehicles are the future.”

The Hummer’s entry into the world of electric vehicles shows that car companies are betting on continued interest at the higher end of the market, where Tesla made his name. Mercedes is also betting that luxury customers will continue to lead the EV adoption curve. But there is also a transformation taking place across all car categories, including the best-selling vehicles in the US. As GM rebrands itself as an EV company, it offers a growing range of electric vehicles, from the Chevrolet Silverado (its F-150 rival and the two most popular vehicles in the US combined) to the Cadillac Lyriq and under $30,000 with its base model Bolt Sedan.

“We’ve made it very clear that we’re going all-electric in our portfolios, and right now it’s a really big challenge for consumers to get everyone on board,” Wahl said.

Here are some of the key ideas from GM, which Wahl shared with CNBC on how the automaker plans to make the EV a mass-market success.

Make car buyers ask lots of questions

According to a recent study by the Pew Foundation, two-thirds of Americans support government incentives for electric vehicle purchases. However, only 42% of Americans are very or fairly likely to buy one. As people realize the benefits of electric vehicles, such as These factors alone are not enough to persuade the public to switch to electric vehicles.

That’s why GM is doing everything it can to educate customers about electric vehicles and make them comfortable with this transition.

“People have different knowledge about electric vehicles and therefore need different information,” said Wahl. “It’s a different exchange altogether.”

GM’s GM EV Live video chat platform allows customers to call live showrooms, ask questions and gain a better understanding of GM’s electric vehicles without having to travel to a dealership, regardless of whether a customer is curious about charging processes, mileage or new technological functions.

GM first began this move toward virtual showrooms in 2017 with Dentsu Aegis Network, when the companies partnered to launch a mixed reality dealership application. Over the years, GM has created other virtual showrooms like Chevy MyWay and Cadillac Live, but GM EV Live is the first EV-only showroom offered by GM.

Focus on all in-car technology, not just EV technology

GM is focused on advancing technology to create better and safer driving experiences along with sleeker EV models. On-the-go charging, active noise-cancelling speakers, and hands-free driver assistance are just a few of GM’s many technological advances that tempt even those tired of electric vehicles.

“You’re already intriguing people because the experience is so breathtaking, not just the core drive, but the technology you put inside you,” Wahl said.

While GM’s technology finds ways to attract more EV customers, the company still faces the challenge of getting customers on board with the idea of ​​autonomous vehicles. GM is currently testing Cruise, its first-ever autonomous vehicle unit, in San Francisco and aims to have all of its vehicles powered and autonomous.

Despite a recall of 80 Cruise vehicles in early September, GM is pushing to expand Cruise testing to Phoenix and Austin, forecasting $1 billion in sales by 2025.

Upholding of the basic principles by EVs

Wahl said one thing that hasn’t changed is the underlying principles of marketing.

“I believe in the core fundamentals of marketing, which is tell the story, tell it well, do it in an engaging way, and if you’re really good, you’re going to have a cultural impact,” she said.

For over a century, GM has influenced American culture and secured a presence as a leading automaker. Therefore, it is crucial for the company to maintain its identity as it transitions to electric vehicles.

GM Chairwoman and CEO Mary Barra addresses investors at the GM Tech Center on October 6, 2021 in Warren, Michigan.

Photo by Steve Fecht for General Motors

Cadillac, for example, is getting a remake as a luxury EV brand, starting with the Cadillac Lyriq.

Cadillac has been iconic throughout its journey, and that’s its new slogan, Wahl said: Be iconic. “And if you look at the way they express themselves, they’ve gone back to expressing the core of who Cadillac was but for the modern age, and they’re doing that with the Lyriq EV, which completely redefined luxury will be electric cars,” she said.

With a starting price of $59,990, the Lyriq will be the first electric Cadillac on the market, but GM doesn’t stop there as other electric Cadillacs are already in the works, like the Cadillac Celestiq, which will begin production by 2017 should be by the end of this year.

Stay up to date on celebrity and influencer trends

The world of celebrity endorsements doesn’t look the same as it did a decade ago, either, and GM is partnering with iconic celebrities in new ways, as well as new social media personalities, from NBA star LeBron James to TikTok influencer Breland .

In a recent commercial for the Hummer EV, James shows off the car’s CrabWalk capability, which allows you to drive diagonally and allows for greater mobility when parked or driving off-road.

The Hummer EV is also being promoted in video games like Call of Duty, and GM is expanding beyond producing traditional commercials by bringing a new focus to social media platforms.

“Influencers are the new media channels,” said Wahl.

Partnering with Breland, a TikTok influencer who went viral for making music, GM introduced its first TikTok for Chevrolet. Breland performed a parody version of his song “My Truck” and sang about Chevy trucks while showcasing various Chevrolet Silverados on TikTok.

“It enables us to get the key messages to the right target group at the right time,” said Wahl. “It’s pretty easy to see which influencers influence which goals.”

Kellyanne Conway is livid with Biden’s marijuana pardon

Seeing President Biden use the Presidential Pardons power under Article II to ensure justice is done was a breath of fresh air that put the Pardons power back where it should be and away from the “parole powers”. Celebrities and those in power who lied and covered up for me” as it was under Trump.

As the Brennan Center describes it:

When it comes to reducing our prison populations, we have argued that this power should be used more frequently vital mechanism of mercy that mitigates the often harsh, racist and unjust effects our criminal justice system.

Yes. Well said. And even some Republicans came forward yesterday to commend Biden for the pardons he signed. Some. Here you can see the split in the GOP between “MAGAs loyal to Trump” (Kellyanne Conway, below) and the “GOP Proper.” To the extent that the GOP is a “thing” unto itself, it is carried by representatives like Nancy Mace, who has veered away from Trump on certain issues.

From the hill:

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace (SC) on Thursday welcomed President Biden’s decision to pardon all those convicted under federal law of simple possession of marijuana, giving the White House “credit where it’s due.”

“I want to give honor where honor is due. I don’t always agree with the Biden administration, I’ve been very vocal about it, but this is a step in the right direction,” Mace told Fox Business Network’s Kennedy when asked for her thoughts on the move.

On Thursday, the South Carolina Republican introduced her own legislation, the States Reform Act, that would also remove cannabis from Schedule I. The measure did not receive a vote in the House of Representatives.

Meanwhile, at the MAGA Ranch, Kellyanne Conway wants to speak to her. She says the pardons are a “choice trick.” To which you might say, “So? You’re elected to do things, and it’s entirely appropriate to show people what you stand for before an election.” Kellyanne Conway said, “Whether it’s forgiving student loans or pardoning marijuana possession convictions a bereft Biden is trying hard to change the subject and get people who don’t like him to like him a little less.”

The nerve! Doing things that make people “like you a little less”? Impossible! Oh, and that doesn’t sound “robbed,” otherwise Kellyanne wouldn’t be so upset.

“Even if this makes legal or practical sense for Biden, he runs the risk of being seen again as an ignorer of the broader and deeper concerns surrounding waves of violent crime and an inescapably devastating economic picture.”

As President Josiah Bartlett might say, “These are the deeper things, Kellyanne.” Biden also sent billions to local law enforcement and — against all Republican attempts to prevent it — has put together an economic package that will help in time.

never mind It’s much easier to convince a ham than it is to be a real MAGA:

SMOKE BLOWING: Kellyanne Conway and Mark Penn on Biden’s weed pardon “timed to coincide with the election” https://t.co/UfkshzFjyb

— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 7, 2022

And the Mace video:

“I want to do credit where credit is due” – Nancy Mace on Fox Business on Biden’s moves to decriminalize marijuana pic.twitter.com/efeHUWbV4C

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 6, 2022

@JasonMiciak believes a day without learning is a day not lived. He is a political writer, columnist, author and lawyer. He is a Canadian-born dual citizen who spent his teens and college days in the Pacific Northwest and has since lived in seven states. Today he enjoys life as a single father to a young girl and writes on the beaches of the Gulf Coast. He loves making his flower pots, cooking and is currently studying philosophy of science, religion and non-mathematical principles behind quantum mechanics and cosmology. Please do not hesitate to contact us for lectures or other concerns.

The US will display screen individuals arriving from Uganda amid the outbreak

The US will screen passengers for Ebola at five designated airports if they have traveled within three weeks of their arrival in Uganda, federal officials said Thursday.

Uganda, a nation in East Africa, is battling a deadly outbreak of Ebola with 63 confirmed and probable cases, including 29 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. No cases of Ebola have been reported in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

According to US health officials, the CDC is working closely with the Ugandan Ministry of Health and the WHO to respond to the outbreak.

The US Embassy in Uganda said Thursday in a health warning that passengers who have been in the country within 21 days of arriving in the US will be directed to one of five airports: New York JFK, Newark, Atlanta, Chicago O ‘Hare or Washington Dulles.

Passengers arriving at these airports from Uganda will be subjected to temperature checks and verification of their contact details, a federal health official said. Airlines will send passenger information to the CDC so the agency can conduct health follow-up, the official said. Contact information will also be sent to state health departments for on-site follow-up testing.

The health screenings are based on the incubation period of Ebola. People infected with the virus are not contagious until symptoms appear, which can be anywhere from two to 21 days after exposure, the CDC said. On average, it takes about eight to 10 days for symptoms to appear.

Uganda is battling an outbreak caused by an Ebola strain called Sudan Ebolavirus. According to the CDC, it spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids from a person who has contracted or died from the virus, as well as through infected animals and contaminated objects. Ebola doesn’t spread through airborne transmission, the health agency said.

Symptoms include unexplained bleeding, bleeding, or bruising, fever, severe headache, muscle and joint pain, and abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. Other symptoms include red eyes, skin rash, and hiccups.

There is no vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration to protect against the Sudan Ebolavirus strain. The FDA has approved a vaccine to fight the Zaire Ebola virus based on animal testing, but it’s not considered protective against the Sudan strain. There is also no FDA-approved treatment for Sudan Ebola virus.

The CDC said in a health alert Thursday that health care providers should be on the alert for any patients suspected of having Ebola. Physicians and other clinicians should obtain a detailed travel history for all patients suspected of having the disease, particularly those who have been to regions in Uganda where there is an outbreak.

The virus has been confirmed in Uganda’s Mubende, Kasanda and Kyegegwa districts.

San Antonio cop fired after capturing teen at McDonald’s

San Antonio officer James Brennand was fired after body camera footage showed he shot and injured 17-year-old Erik Cantu while he was in a vehicle eating a burger in a McDonald’s parking lot.

According to NBC News, the police department announced that Brennand was released after taking Cantu to the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds. As of Friday morning, Cantu’s condition was unknown. Police said Brennand arrived at the Blanco Road fast food restaurant around 10:45pm on Sunday for an unrelated disturbance call.

Capt. Alyssa Campos, the department’s training commander, said:

“As the officer attempted to gather information from witnesses, he noticed a vehicle that had swerved around him the day before when the officer attempted to stop because the registered license plate did not match the actual vehicle.”

She further explained that the vehicle Cantu was driving that night was unrelated to the disturbance call that Brennand had responded to.

Brennand reportedly believed the car Cantu was driving was stolen and called in backup. However, he approached the vehicle before his reinforcements arrived. In the body cam footage, Brennand can be seen opening the driver’s door while Cantu is eating a burger. He then ordered Cantu to get out of the car. As the car goes into reverse, Brennand fires several rounds into the car as it pulls away.

VIDEO: Body-cam video shows San Antonio Police Officer James Brennand firing multiple shots at the 17-year-old suspect, who drove away while being called out of the vehicle in the parking lot of a North Side McDonald’s Sunday night get off.
DETAILS: https://t.co/wnVVpFK4pt pic.twitter.com/51NHIHc1mC

— News 4 San Antonio (@News4SA) October 5, 2022

NBC News reports that a 17-year-old passenger was in the car with Cantu. The car was found a block from the scene and the passenger sustained no injuries.

According to CNN, Cantu was charged with evading detention in a vehicle and assaulting the officer, as the officer claimed he was hit by the same door he forcibly opened before Cantu put it in reverse. However, Cantu defense attorney Brian Powers shared that the Bexar County Attorney’s Office announced on Friday that prosecutors would not be filing charges against Cantu.

Brennand was still on his probationary period, which is required for officers who graduated from the police academy less than a year ago. He had been in the service for seven months prior to his resignation. It has not been announced if he will be charged with a crime.

This incident is still under investigation.

TSR STAFF: Jade Ashley @Jade_Ashley94

Russia appoints new supreme commander of its army in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) clink glasses with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev next to Sergei Surovikin, commander of Russian troops in Syria, after a ceremony to bestow state awards on military personnel who fought in Syria December 28 at the Moscow Kremlin. 2017. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / POOL / AFP) (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Kirill Kudryavtsev | AFP | Getty Images

WASHINGTON – Russia has appointed a new commander to lead all of its forces in Ukraine as the Kremlin’s war marches into its eighth month.

Sergei Surovikin, an army general who also oversees the Russian Air Force, previously led Russian forces in Syria. His new role will be to mobilize Russian forces after a series of setbacks, including heavy losses in troops and equipment, and the loss of thousands of square miles of occupied territory.

Surovikin’s appointment follows Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plans to recruit hundreds of thousands of Russian men for the war. Putin’s order for some 300,000 Russians to join the fight in Ukraine marks the first time Moscow has conscripted civilians into the military since World War II.

The Kremlin’s decision to push through a partial draft was prompted in part by a series of startling Ukrainian advances in recent weeks.

Last week Putin declared that four Ukrainian regions are now part of Russia. The Russian leader cited referendums widely viewed as rigged and illegal by Western governments, held in the Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine.

“The results are known, well known,” Putin said on September 30. “There are four new regions of Russia,” referring to Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions.

After Putin’s speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would make an “accelerated” application for his country to join the NATO military alliance.

Armed with an arsenal of Western weapons, Ukrainian forces have recaptured vast swathes of land occupied by Russian forces since the war began. Their successes on the battlefield have tarnished the reputation of the Kremlin’s mighty war machine.

But as Ukraine struggles to retake the land village by village, the cost to civilians is huge.

According to United Nations estimates, the Russian invasion has so far claimed the lives of more than 6,000 civilians and injured more than 8,600. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights adds that the death toll in Ukraine is likely higher.

Europe’s heatwave disaster is worsening as locals lack air con

Europe faces a harsh winter as inflation and energy prices continue to rise. The continent, too, faces difficult decisions after its scorching summer

Heat waves in Europe broke records, sparked widespread wildfires and even damaged a busy London airport runway.

Unlike the US, European countries do not rely on air conditioning to deal with high temperatures. According to the International Energy Agency, less than 10% of homes in Europe had air conditioning in 2016.

“If we look at the beginning of this summer, it was pretty quiet. We used to get 20 inquiries a day, maybe from people interested in air conditioning,” said Richard Salmon, director of The Air Conditioning Co., based in central London.

Demand for air conditioning skyrocketed as temperatures in the UK topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

“I’ve been here 15 years and I’ve never seen anything quite like it,” Salmon said.

As countries around the world quickly find ways to cool their homes and businesses, it becomes increasingly important to install cooling technology that does not contribute to higher temperatures via carbon emissions in the future.

“It is clear that unless effective mitigation strategies are put in place at a global scale to reduce emissions, this type of summer and these type of events will become the new norm,” said Andrea Toreti, senior climate scientist at the European Commission, the executive body the EU.

Watch the video to learn more about why large parts of Europe are without air conditioning, how air conditioning contributes to climate change and new types of efficient cooling technologies that can reduce CO2 emissions.

How the Viral Nap Gown helped me love my postpartum physique

Here’s the thing: shortly after the birth of my son, I was anything but kind to myself, especially when it came to my looks.

Even though I knew my body had done something wonderful, I was shocked (ref: delusional) to see that I hadn’t returned to my pre-pregnancy weight. Worst of all, I felt like a stranger in my own skin.

Breastfeeding made me feel more like a milk machine than a human. Also, it gave my boobs an odd hybrid where they looked like sad sandbags and Playboy model material. My daily changing weight mixed with my imbalanced hormones had turned me into one big unsafe mess.

So shopping for cute clothes wasn’t exactly fun.

Aside from not even knowing my size, I needed pieces that would be breastfeeding friendly, that could evolve with my body, and that would boost my confidence. Because the truth is, if I don’t look good, I don’t feel good.

So it was a great relief for me when the nap dress met all the criteria.

Explosion solely broken the crossing between Russia and Crimea

Recorded and released on October 8, 2022, this video shows thick black smoke billowing from a fire on the Kerch Bridge, which connects Crimea to Russia.

– | AFP | Getty Images

Russian authorities reported on Saturday that a major fire broke out on the only bridge connecting mainland Russia with the occupied Crimea peninsula.

Russian state-backed media quoted the National Counter-Terrorism Committee as saying that a truck exploded on the road side of the Kerch Bridge at 6:07 a.m. local time before the road partially collapsed.

The fire reportedly set ablaze seven oil tankers being transported to Crimea by rail, with thick black smoke billowing into the sky.

The Kerch Bridge, sometimes called the Crimean Bridge, is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s prestige projects. It was built on his orders shortly after the Kremlin’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 to support Moscow’s claims to the territory.

A symbol of hatred for Ukrainians, the 19-kilometer crossing consists of two road and rail bridges spanning the Kerch Strait, used by Russia to transport military equipment to Ukraine.

A screenshot from surveillance video shows flames and smoke billowing after an explosion at the Kerch Bridge in Crimea’s Kerch Strait, October 8, 2022.

Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

The reported truck blast comes a day after Putin’s 70th birthday and at a time when the months-long Kremlin invasion of Ukraine has suffered a series of humiliating setbacks in recent weeks.

Images and videos shared on social media appeared to show the extent of the fire and damage.

CNBC has not been able to independently verify the authenticity of these reports and images.

“Crimea, the bridge, the beginning”

The head of the Russian-installed Crimean regional parliament, Vladimir Konstantinov, blamed the incident on “Ukrainian vandals who finally managed to reach the Crimean bridge with their bloodied hands,” according to the BBC.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said the damage was “the beginning,” although he did not claim Kyiv was responsible.

“Crimea, the bridge, the beginning. Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled,” Podolyak said via Twitter.

The official Ukrainian government Twitter account, meanwhile, appeared to respond to the incident by saying, “Sick burn.”

People pose for photos in front of an image of a postage stamp showing an artist’s impression of the burning Kerch Bridge October 8, 2022 in central Kyiv, Ukraine.

Ed Ram | News from Getty Images | Getty Images

Russian media reported that traffic had been halted due to the incident and rescue and road maintenance workers were working at the site to contain the fire.

“According to preliminary information, a fuel tank is on fire … Passable arches were not damaged. It is too early to talk about causes and consequences. Work to extinguish the fire is underway,” said Oleg Kryuchko, an adviser to the Russian Das said the Crimean occupation chief, according to the TASS news agency by telegram.

The incident came hours after Russia concentrated its latest barrage of attacks on areas of Ukraine it illegally annexed.

In what the West has dubbed sham referendums late last month, Putin declared “four new regions of Russia” when Moscow annexed Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions.

Kyiv has said it will not stop fighting until it has regained every inch of the land lost to Russia.

Meanwhile, Moscow has claimed it has “the right” to use nuclear weapons to defend its territory and citizens when it feels there is an existential threat, or even when attacked with conventional weapons.

Shares fall, purchase JNJ, AMD disenchanted

Tesla inventory had its worst week since March 2020 amid a wild week for Musk

Elon Musk

Mike Blake | Reuters

Tesla Shares fell almost 16% during what CEO Elon Musk described to one of his 108 million followers on Twitter as “a very intense 7 days indeed.”

Tesla shares closed at $265.25 on Friday, September 30th. At the close a week later, Tesla shares were trading at $223.07, down nearly 16%. It was the stock’s worst week since March 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic began to sweep the United States, crippling businesses and public life.

Over the weekend, Tesla reported production and delivery figures for electric vehicles that fell short of analysts’ expectations.

On Monday, Musk stoked a political firestorm by commenting on how he thinks Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine should be resolved.

Afterwards, public records revealed that Musk had told the Delaware Chancery Court that he was completing a $44 billion acquisition Twitter in October, a deal he had been trying to avoid for months.

Tesla deliveries and AI tag

According to estimates from FactSet’s own Street Account, analysts had expected Tesla to report deliveries of 364,660 cars for the period through Sept. 30, 2022.

But over the past weekend, Tesla reported total deliveries of 343,000 and production of 365,000 electric cars — despite starting production at two new factories in Brandenburg, Germany, and Austin, Texas.

Analysts wondered if Tesla is now facing a demand slump in China, where it faces stiffer competition from BYD, the Warren Buffett-backed lithium-ion battery and electric vehicle maker.

Tesla also held an engineer recruitment event late Friday last week, where it showcased a raw, early prototype humanoid robot and spoke about remaining challenges and advances in the development of self-driving technology that will power its cars with a software update in Robotaxis can transform .

The robot demo failed to impress industry insiders, but its potential captivated some fans and optimistic analysts.

Musk about Russia

On Monday, Musk released a Twitter poll assessing support for what he called the likely outcome of the seven-month conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

He proposed new UN-supervised votes in Ukraine on whether certain parts of the beleaguered democratic nation should join Russia. He also suggested that Ukraine should cede Crimea to Russia and that the nation should then remain “neutral” rather than join either NATO or Russia.

The Kremlin praised Musk, but he drew harsh criticism from many others, including Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk, South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham, and anti-Putin human rights activist and former chess champion Garry Kasparov.

Kasparov, who wanted to prevent Putin’s rise to power and was jailed and beaten for his activism before fleeing the country, described Musk’s plan as a “repeat of Kremlin propaganda.”

Twitter deal back

While Musk originally agreed to buy Twitter in April 2022, he spent months thereafter accusing the company of lying about its user IDs in financial records while fighting in court to get out of the deal he was proposing.

Twitter had sued Musk to ensure the deal went through as promised and saw a windfall for its shareholders. With a deposition this week and a pending trial, Musk sent a letter to Twitter and the court this week saying he would take the company private for $54.20 a share after all. He wanted Twitter or the court to stay the litigation, and a judge gave him until Oct. 28 to close the deal or go to court.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO may need to sell another portion of his Tesla stake to fund the Twitter acquisition. It won’t be able to do so until or after October 19, when the electric vehicle maker reports its third-quarter results.

On the top…

Despite his volatile week, Musk has made at least one historic professional accomplishment on his SpaceX reusable rocket project. The company transported four people from Cape Canaveral, Fla., to the International Space Station on Wednesday.

The mission marks the fifth launch by a SpaceX operational crew for NASA and the company’s eighth manned spaceflight in just over two years. One of the people flying SpaceX on this latest mission is Russian cosmonaut Anna Kikina.

Musk also boasted about the years-delayed start of production of the Tesla Semi, an all-electric heavy-duty truck, and promised that the company would deliver some of the trucks to Pepsi by December 1.