The electric car brand was once a liberal favourite – but the CEO’s embrace of Trump has led to an angry backlash

Summary

Elon Musk’s vocal support for Donald Trump and promotion of far-right conspiracy theories has alienated many Tesla owners, who now express embarrassment over their cars.

Sales of anti-Musk stickers, such as “Anti Elon Tesla Club,” have surged as owners distance themselves from Musk’s politics.

Once admired by liberals for his environmental advocacy, Musk’s alignment with Trump and leadership in his administration have sparked backlash.

While Tesla remains the dominant EV maker, analysts warn Musk’s polarizing image may impact sales as competition grows and Trump plans to cut EV tax incentives.

  • ⓝⓞ🅞🅝🅔@lemmy.ca
    481·
    12 days ago

    May impact sales…

    Let’s face it, people seem to be able to tolerate a lot of shit before they ever actually start showing how they feel with their wallets.

    • recapitated@lemmy.world
      14·
      12 days ago

      Oh I don’t know, the Budweiser stock hit endured pretty lengthy after being advertised by a non-redneck.

    • BigDanishGuy@sh.itjust.works
      14·
      12 days ago

      IDK about new car figures, but I’m in the market for another EV. I found a Tesla model 3 long range awd that had done about 150k km, and a Renault Zoe with 15k km and 2/3 the range. The Renault is slightly cheaper, but it’s Musk being a loose canon that’s the reason why I’m going with the Zoe instead. Sure it’s a nicer car, if it works, but the fear that Musk get’s high and disables non-essential stuff is too real.

      So in my case Musk has directly affected my used car choice.

      • Duamerthrax@lemmy.world
        10·
        12 days ago

        Does the Zoe have conventional door handles? Cause the functional design of Tesla’s leaves a lit to be desired anyway.

        • BigDanishGuy@sh.itjust.works
          4·
          12 days ago

          AFAIK yes, at least I didn’t notice anything strange, and I believe the one I looked at in the comparison (at a dealership) even had a proper keyhole in the driver door.