Elon Musk buries Tesla – why buying it is gradually becoming problematic

Ten years ago, Tesla was a promising fringe phenomenon. Even then, Elon Musk was the face of the brand – and gathered countless fans around him. Owning a Tesla was seen as a statement. Anyone who drove an electric car and supported Musk was committed to a better world. And no matter how much the company stumbled or failed to meet deadlines – the stock market usually only went up. For a long time, Tesla has therefore been considered the most valuable automobile company in the world. Its current market value of around 800 billion US dollars dwarfs the rest of the industry. Only when you add up Toyota, BYD, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Stellantis, Volkswagen and BMW do you get a similar sum. The trust in the Tesla brand is astronomical.

And yet the facade is crumbling. But this is not due to outdated models, a virtually failed Cybertruck, empty promises or general skepticism towards electric cars – but to the former figurehead Elon Musk.

Tesla is and always has been a statement – ​​only today a different one

Musk has shown a completely different side of himself since buying Twitter. It is questionable whether he is simply revealing his true self or whether he has become more radical in recent years. But the fact is that some of his most loyal fans can no longer identify with him and his products are therefore becoming a political taboo for many. A Tesla is still a statement – but a completely different one.

Time will tell whether the owner of the world’s most widely read Twitter account will drag himself into the abyss. The content has the potential to do so. You don’t even have to go back to the Corona pandemic, when Musk openly criticized the government’s measures and would have preferred to chain his employees to their offices. Even the time of the Twitter takeover and the way he dealt with his new, but obviously unwanted staff, was not the last straw.

Rather, it is Elon Musk’s political agenda that is angering his old audience – and attracting new fans who couldn’t be more different.

Elon Musk and Joe Biden were never friends

There has long been a crisis between Musk and the Democratic government in the USA – he and Joe Biden are no longer friends. Both sides have made this very clear through open rejection or lack of invitations to important meetings. But the former libertarian supporter of the “Dems” is now going one step further: he is publicly switching sides.

Shortly after the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, Musk really turned up the heat. “I fully support President Trump and hope for his speedy recovery,” he wrote shortly after the shooting. He continued: “The last time America had such a tough candidate was Theodore Roosevelt.”

In the days following the attempted murder, Musk was unable to rest. He repeatedly railed against the media and shared content from a clearly right-wing direction, sometimes moving deep into the camp of conspiracy theorists such as the new right-wing Naomi Seibt, who has made a name for herself as a climate change denier. He used a video of her to address Chancellor Olaf Scholz to demand punishment for Sebastian “El Hotzo” Hotz after his controversial tweet about the assassination attempt.

Musk recently made headlines when the “” reported that he was apparently supporting Donald Trump in the election campaign not only with his enormous reach, but also with money – a lot of money. According to the report, Musk wants to donate 45 million US dollars every month so that Trump doesn’t lack anything.

The incredible change in this behavior becomes obvious when you look at the past of Trump and Musk. Just two years ago, Musk called Donald Trump “too old for office” and said he wanted to support Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Shortly afterwards, Trump called his current supporter a “bullshit artist.” The fronts were definitely hardened.

This about-face, which is taking place around what is probably the biggest point of contention among the American population, is causing many people to no longer identify with Musk – or even to turn their backs on him. Quite a few people believe that Donald Trump’s vocal support could seriously damage Tesla. And not just because Trump is no fan of electric vehicles and wants to roll back some laws once he takes office. In the worst case scenario, this could mean additional taxes or canceled subsidies for Tesla vehicles, which could harm sales.

Musk loses his most important sales tool

What’s worse is that Musk could lose his most important marketing trick. If he shows the environmentally conscious buyers of his cars so obviously that he does not share their views and ideologies, there will be no reason for these people to support him and his work. The other camp that Musk is now celebrating, however, is unlikely to have much interest in environmentally friendly electric cars. In the Trump camp, they are actually hated. The chances that Musk can replace the missing existing customers are therefore slim.

Those who already drive a Tesla for ideological reasons have a tough lot. It’s not uncommon to see a sticker on these cars that says: “I bought this car before we found out Elon was crazy.” As funny as this message is, the statement is just as threatening. Because someone who thinks this way will not buy a new Tesla. That also damages the company.

It is already becoming apparent that Tesla is selling fewer and fewer vehicles. In the second quarter of 2024, sales were 4.8 percent below the previous year. The first quarter also performed noticeably worse in comparison. And this cannot be blamed solely on the generally poor mood in the market. The “” has the proof: In a survey of 7,500 people, some of the respondents openly said that they felt insulted by the CEO’s behavior. When asked how he assessed the situation for Tesla, a Microsoft employee explained: “It’s like driving around with a gigantic red MAGA hat.” The MAGA hat is the A distinctive feature of the hard core of Trump supporters – the abbreviation stands for Trump’s battle cry “Make America Great Again”. The man therefore decided against a Tesla and went for Volkswagen. He is not alone in this.

Tesla stumbles even without Musk

But the political dilemma and Musk’s role model are by no means all the problems Tesla is struggling with. In addition, the boss has broken countless promises regarding new functions for his vehicles. He also recently had to put his efforts in the field of robo-taxis into perspective and postpone an important event.

Added to this are the many problems that Musk’s latest creation, the Cybertruck, has. Several recalls and mass customer complaints have turned the vehicle, which was at least visually revolutionary, into a laughing stock on wheels.

The fact is: Tesla is swimming. And Musk is pulling on its legs. Hardly any other company is so closely intertwined with its boss – and sooner or later, the many pioneering achievements in terms of electromobility will be forgotten and only an angry Musk will be seen, who has turned his back on his most loyal customers. This, combined with the fact that every Tesla purchase could indirectly become a party donation for Trump, makes it a real problem to buy here in good conscience. Even if the cars are fundamentally absolutely solid.