News articles indicate that some Tedla owners are feeling a bit embarrassed by their choice of vehicle. Getting the bird is one thing; now starting to get a Hitler salute. There’s an increasing movement called “Take down Tesla”, with protests outside Tesla dealerships.
And it’s getting ugly out there:
Stranger
Does Sean Spicer drive a Tesla? Had no idea!
We see about a dozen Teslas when out on our daily errands. Today my SO, wanting to put a face to the question “who drives these cars made by that man?” was caught craning her neck to see from her passenger’s seat. A ready middle finger replied.
I think a lot of high-salary consumers are getting sensitive these days. Not fair, perhaps, unless you live off the bean poles and rice paddy in your own backyard
One of those dealerships is in my county. I don’t advocate this sort of vandalism, but I do understand it. It’s unlikely the perpetrators will be caught.
I love that guy! #LetHimMisspeak!
Fuck them. I’ve endured Elon Musk’s antics for going on fifteen years while he was somehow celebrated for being an environmental savior and liberal icon even though it was clear that he cared less about either cause than his own self-glorification, whinging over every perceived slight, and spastic dominance over others, and now that the general public is seeing him for what he really is I’m enjoying the Schadenfreude of outrage that he is now cosplaying as a literal Nazi.
Stranger
Most of us bought our cars over a year ago and very few are Musk fans. That said, the company employs over 125,000 people in America. Musk owns about 8%. Institutional investors own around 70% (and the stock is down over 40% year to date). I wouldn’t buy one now but I can’t afford to dump my car even though Musk is disgusting.
I am Jewish and I look Jewish. If someone makes a Nazi sign at me it’s either a simpleton who is taking things out on someone innocent, an extreme right wing anti-Semite or an extreme left wing anti-Semite. Someone who isn’t Jewish can’t possibly understand this but I don’t have the privilege to figure out which one it is at my leisure. I will, if possible, take steps to defend myself. If you aren’t Jewish, I have no interest in your goysplaining about how I should feel about someone flashing Nazi signs at me.
Going after a dealership is another matter entirely. There are protests at the Tesla dealership near my house and people drive to them in their Teslas.
Have you personally suffered any ugliness simply for driving your car? I do hope not. I like to think people who live where you do are somewhat more discerning and understand that most Tesla owners purchased their vehicles before Musk’s true nature was widely known.
I just assume that those with the wherewithal decided it was time to move to EV, and chose the most prominent brand.
Some people believe that our problems are essentially political in nature, and the solutions are therefore political. But perhaps our problems are human in nature, and the solutions are human. A knottier proposition.
I haven’t and thanks for asking. I have heard a lot of anecdotes and I am a bit nervous. This whole thing has ruined the joy I got from a car that I really like to drive which I suppose I deserve to some extent. Santa Barbara is stuffed to the gills with Teslas. A vandal would have to work for years to get them all.
I was just at the dealership for a warranty repair and it was a ghost town as opposed to when I got my car when there is lots of activity. They had like eight of those ugly trucks on the lot. The protests happen on Saturdays.
If Musk can’t drop dead, I hope the shareholders revolt and replace the board and them him.
I will hope along with you.
A local couple are close friends. They fell in love with Teslas long before Musk publicly turded. Husband half bought his during Biden’s term, I believe. Maybe 5 years ago? His wife placed an order for an ugly truck. Many delays ensued, and in that time, she lost her nerve. She canceled the order for the truck – but bought some other model of Tesla. This was just a year ago.
I confess to having some not-nice thoughts about her choice after she had become well aware of Musk’s true nature. Why not order a Rivian, FFS?
That’s my assumption, too. As I mentioned elsewhere, this neigbourhood is positively infested with Teslas, and everyone I know here is a decent and generally very liberal person. This is, after all, Canada.
So my attitude to a Tesla driver, far from being hostile, is more a sort of pity that they unfairly have to endure this stigma after having made what was basically an environmentally sound decision to buy a futuristic and – let’s face it – technologically exciting product.
Tesla still has an opportunity to redeem itself if it can thoroughly disassociate itself from Elmo. Much like the Volkswagen Beetle became not only accepted but beloved. But right now the Tesla has the same stigma as driving a Volkswagen in 1939, and, in a strange throwback to history, for much the same reasons.
I’ve started seeing those stickers on Teslas now that say “I bought it before Elon went crazy”. That seems to be a very good way to avoid confrontations. I saw one online today that reads “Vintsge Tesla Pre-Madness Edition”.
My sister is trying to unload her Tesla, but it’s going to be at a huge loss.
I recently spent 2 weeks in Norway. A very green, very liberal country. Lots of calm and sanity, absolutely no screaming. And a very refreshing experience it was.
They tell me some 80% of new car sales are EVs. They had been heavily subsidized for years and now most cars are EVs and the subsidies are slowly being withdrawn and the preference for EVs remains overwhelming.
Since musk went blatantly public Tesla’s new car sales in-country are cratering. Like off 80% and still shrinking.
As one of the early leaders in EVs, there are a LOT of existing Teslas in Norway. Which are all but unsaleable. Due to musk, nobody is buying a used Tesla.
Norway does have a full roster of Chinese EVs and I saw a lot of at least externally interesting models. The Chinese will have no problem replacing all of what had been Tesla’s sales; Norway may be very heavily into EVs, but it is not a populous country. The European brands are represented as well, but its turning into a mostly Chinese fleet. Which has its own geo-political / social implications.
Returning to the USA …
It will be very interesting to watch, but I predict both new and used Teslas will be real hard to sell in the USA real soon.
I’ve seen a Tesla with a bumper sticker: “Love the car, not the man.”
It seems he has thoroughly secured both the Board and management with minions and pretty much preempted any pushback — to the tune of extracting from Tesla billions of the company’s money to compensate what he set on fire taking over Twitter — and right now ISTM any other major stakeholder would be terrified he’ll tell Trump to sic whatever’s left of the SEC or FTC on them.
What if the dealer bought the dealership more than a year ago and “can’t afford to dump” it? What if they are Jewish and look Jewish?
Your finances are your own concern. But if you live in Santa Barbara and drive a Tesla, I wonder if you “couldn’t afford” to dump it, or just don’t care to take the financial loss of such a transaction. Selling the Tesla at a loss and buying a less expensive EV would keep food off your table or the mortgage/rent from being paid?
And how would you need to “defend yourself” against some yahoo on the street flipping a Nazi salute as you drive past?
While I’m not privy to the workings of corporate high finance, the board of directors isn’t the only factor here. There are millions of shareholders, both direct and through asset management companies, that are being impacted by Musk having made Tesla a toxic brand. Just the top two asset managers holding shares in Tesla between them hold a bigger stake in the company than Musk himself. They alone theoretically have the power to oust him.
Indeed.