There was a time when Elon Musk was broadly considered a visionary genius, an entrepreneur whose outside-the-box considering had pushed firms like Tesla and SpaceX to the forefront of future transportation. His intelligence was even in comparison with Einstein’s, and his electrical autos symbolised progressive environmental values.
However the winds have dramatically shifted over these previous few months. The as soon as visionary entrepreneur now has himself and his flagship firm, Tesla, on the centre of shopper backlash, with crashing gross sales and the EV firm’s proprietor throwing up questionable salutes in entrance of the world, house owners desperately attempting to cover their reference to the model.
It has now reached the stage the place Tesla autos — as soon as paraded as standing symbols of forward-looking environmentalism — are actually being disguised by their house owners, as gross sales figures proceed to fall globally.
Tesla Homeowners Conceal Their Automobiles in Worry & Anger
Social media is replete with photos of Tesla house owners taking artistic measures to hide their autos’ identities. Some apply stickers of different firms, others add decals with disclaimers about their buying timeline. The motivations fluctuate — some concern vandalism based mostly on Musk’s public stance, others merely now not want to be related along with his more and more divisive public persona.
Associated Tales
The change in sentiment is immediately traceable to Musk’s laborious proper political flip. He’s spent tons of of thousands and thousands on Trump’s presidential marketing campaign, and, since Trump’s victory, has positioned himself as a vocal marketing consultant within the authorities reform agenda, promising to slash federal spending and bureaucracies. This political alignment has brought about a cognitive dissonance for a lot of Tesla house owners who purchased the vehicles within the first place for his or her progressive inexperienced credentials.
76-year-old retired lawyer Tom Blackburn advised AFP that he was as soon as happy with his Tesla however is now “a little bit embarrassed” and drives round with a sticker that claims “I purchased this earlier than I knew he was loopy.”
Mike Schwede, a digital strategist based mostly in Switzerland, additionally as soon as believed his Tesla was one thing of a glimpse into the longer term however now simply sees… properly, remorse. “I now not loved sitting in my Tesla,” he advised The Guardian and in addition expressed his need to promote the car.
It’s a branding nightmare for Tesla, and analysts are suggesting that the corporate ought to shortly put some critical distance between itself and Musk to keep away from dropping clients to rival firms like BYD, BMW, Volkswagen and the wave of Chinese language EV manufacturers which can be able to pounce.
World Gross sales Decline
As if his political engagement in America wasn’t sufficient, Musk has introduced his controversial stance to Europe, attending rallies and supporting Germany’s far-right celebration. The backlash got here within the type of condemnation by European leaders and companies, with tangible repercussions shortly being felt within the type of gross sales figures.
In response to the European Car Producers’ Affiliation (ACEA), Tesla offered fewer than 10,000 autos throughout Europe in January 2025. The earlier 12 months the corporate offered 18,161 vehicles, suggesting that the gross sales decreased by 45% in only one 12 months. Within the European Union, the drop was extra critical and hit 50%. Market share additionally went down from 1.8% to only 1%.
General, in line with CNBC, Tesla’s inventory has declined by 25% for the reason that begin of 2025, and Musk has misplaced $100 billion USD of his web price. An evaluation by Bloomberg revealed that California — as soon as Tesla’s stronghold — noticed a 12% gross sales drop after Musk lashed out at state leaders. A survey from Electrifying additional discovered that 60% of potential consumers say Musk’s “controversial repute actively places them off” when contemplating a Tesla buy.
Tesla might have began the electrical revolution of vehicles, however the trade is at all times evolving and rivals are catching up quick. Musk is busy making headlines for all of the flawed causes however different automakers are doing what Tesla used to: specializing in innovation, affordability, and mass adoption.
At this price, Tesla may simply turn into the Blackberry of EVs — a pioneer that bought too snug on the high and ignored the warning indicators. Perhaps at some point, Musk will realise that chasing political affect was not price watching his empire crumble for, however till then, don’t be stunned should you see extra Teslas wrapped in disguise, with their house owners pretending they purchased a special automotive.
