A large number of Tesla customers were previously affluent, liberal, and environmentally conscious professionals.
They were drawn to Elon Musk’s claims that his electric vehicles could prevent the planet from being destroyed by fossil fuels.
But that’s not the case anymore.
The backlash against the company is growing.
Tesla showrooms in the US have been besieged by protesters, its vehicles vandalised and bumper stickers appearing on its cars with sayings such as, “I bought it before Elon went nuts,” “Elon ate my cat” and “Anti-Elon club.”
The so-called regret stickers that have taken over the internet are reportedly a way for Tesla drivers to dissociate from the billionaire’s antics and controversies.
@elonmusk Girl, we are distancing ourselves en masse from you. My other is ‘Elon Musk ate my Cat,’ referring to the fact that you are an American immigrant yourself! pic.twitter.com/2j1l8pb02h
— Amideus Mans (@AmideusMans) January 12, 2025
But why exactly are Tesla drivers buying such stickers? Let’s take a closer look.
Polarising views
Elon Musk’s divisive opinions have drawn criticism ever since he took over Twitter, which was rebranded as X.
The billionaire has made strong political statements in recent years, including arguing with former US President Joe Biden, criticising transgender people, and calling Democrats the party of “division and hate.”
Because of this, several Tesla owners are now rethinking purchasing or even owning a Tesla product.
According to a Bloomberg poll, many owners acknowledged feeling uneasy about Musk’s polarising views and public profile.
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Embracing politics
Musk’s business was already in peril when he publicly supported Donald Trump and spent $270 million on his presidential campaign.
He then doubled down, taking his political movement and fiery rhetoric overseas and pursuing a slash-and-burn approach as the head of Trump’s government efficiency team,
Doge.
According to a CNN report, many also decided not to buy a Tesla due to Musk’s political beliefs.
“I don’t want Tesla cars to become the new MAGA hat,” one driver, contemplating cancelling his order, told CNN. “I don’t want to be seen as a rich jerk, and I don’t want to be seen as a political conservative, libertarian free speech warrior.”
“I don’t even want to drive it. He’s destroying the brand with his politics,” said Model 3 owner John Parnell, a Democrat from Ross, California, adding that he is also cancelling his order for the company’s Cybertruck, losing a $100 deposit.
Additionally, the carmaker’s latest annual report to investors details all the potential negative outcomes, ranging from expensive legal actions to uncontrollably large battery fires to war and another pandemic.
However, Musk’s full-fledged foray into conservative politics, which some analysts claim is alienating potential clients who disagree with him, is hardly mentioned in the annual report, according to The Associated Press.
“It’s marketing 101: Don’t involve yourself in politics,” said New York brand consultant Robert Passikoff. “People will stop buying your products.”
His antics
Several Tesla owners told Business Insider that Musk’s antics caused them to abandon the brand.
He has supported Germany’s far-right, anti-Muslim, pro-Russian party, referred to the British prime minister as an “evil tyrant” who governs a “police state,” and recently declared, about a significant Tesla market and neighbour of the United States, that “Canada is not a real country.”
Calibre, a market research firm, warned earlier this year that Musk’s personal beliefs were turning off potential Tesla buyers. However, since then, his political activity has only increased.
In London, a bus stop billboard depicting Musk above the phrase “swasticars” blazed social media. A Polish government minister called for a boycott of Tesla. An effigy of Musk was hung in Milan, and a picture of him doing the straight-arm salute was projected on a Tesla factory outside of Berlin.
“I will not buy a Tesla again,” AP quoted Jens Fischer, a 50-year-old microscope salesman in Witten, Germany, who thinks Musk is “destabilising democracy” and has slapped one of those “Elon went nuts” stickers on his Model 3. “I’d sell if I got a good offer.”
Tesla sales plunge
It’s too late for the carmaker.
Despite an increase in sales of electric vehicles globally, research firm Jato Dynamics reports that Tesla sales fell 45 per cent in Europe in January.
There are too many other elements that could account for Tesla’s current problems, according to auto industry analysts, to determine with confidence how much harm Musk is causing to the company.
Some also say potential Tesla consumers are delaying purchases at the moment because the company’s best-selling car, the Model Y, will be getting a new model this year.
However, a few other car analysts claim that the current situation only serves to highlight how irresponsible Musk’s political remarks are.
“Musk thinks he can say anything he wants to and doesn’t think Tesla will suffer any consequences,“ said Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein, as per AP. “Tesla was in the sweet spot. Now it has competition.”
Tesla investor Ross Gerber says Musk has somehow managed to marry the world’s best product with the world’s worst marketing.
“People want to buy stuff that makes them feel good, you don’t want politics involved,” said Gerber, a money manager whose portfolios hold nearly $60 million in Tesla stock. “It’s even worse when you have such divisive issues, whether it’s firing climate scientists or taking aid away from starving African children.”
However, if Tesla’s stock is any guide, the company’s future is looking bleak. Musk’s involvement in the Trump administration isn’t helping, either.
As of Friday, it has lost $550 billion in investor wealth, or 37 per cent, since its Inauguration Day, as per AP.
With inputs from agencies
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