The statements of Elon Musk About German politics they seem to have had a strong impact in the presence of Tesla In the country. According to official figures, Company’s sales fell 60% in January compared to the same month of the previous year, after the businessman expressed his support for Alternative for Germany (AFD), the ultra -right party.
“It’s the last Spark of hope“Musk said about the group, generating strong controversy in the European country, after its controversial gesture In the celebrations for the triumph of Donald Trump in USA.
The conservative Friedrich Merz He strongly criticized Musk’s position and considered it a unprecedented influence on politics of an allied country. “I do not remember a comparable case of interference in the Electoral campaign From a friendly country in the history of Western democracies, “he said.
Impact on Tesla sales
According to the data of the Federal Road Transport Authority of Germany (KBA), Tesla sold just 1,277 units In January, which represents a 59.5% less that in the same period of 2024. its market share fell to 0.6%, while Volkswagen led with 46,381 units marketed.
Tesla has a plant in Grünheide, near Berlinthe only one in Europewhere it manufactures electric vehicles and batteries in the same complex. Despite the strategic importance of this installation, the company has faced labor uncertainty.
In March 2024, Musk visited the factory that Use about 12,500 workersand a month later rumors emerged that it evaluated to reduce the template in even 3,000 positionssomething that the company denied.
Elon Musk and his intervention in the electoral campaign
The controversy broke out when Musk spoke about German politics in the midst of the call for early elections by the Chancellor Olaf Scholz. These will be held on February 23 after a government crisis that resulted in the departure of the Minister of Economy, Christian Lindner.
The relationship between Trumpism and AFD is not new. In 2017, when Donald Trump won the presidency of the United States, AFD was one of the first political forces to congratulate him, with his then leader, Frauke Petry, presenting the party as a “Natural Allied”.
Now, Musk reinforced that link with a blunt message: “Only AFD can save Germany”. In addition, he shared an article from Welt am sonntaglinked to the Axel Springer group, supporting its position.
Musk rejected accusations that AFD is an extreme right party, arguing that its president, Alice Weidelit is openly homosexual and your partner is Sri Lanka. “Do you think it’s Hitler? Please!” He exclaimed, insisting that AFD represents “the last spark of hope” for the country.
The conservative candidate with greater chances of winning, Friedrich Merz, reacted hard before the posture of the tycoon. “Imagine for a moment the justified reaction of the Americans before a comparatively unilateral article of a well -known German businessman in the New York Times In favor of the election of a ‘renegade’ in the US presidential election campaign, “he said, in reference to the “Sanitary Cord” With which the main parties seek to isolate AFD, a rising force that is located as a second in the surveys, only behind the CDU-CSU alliance.
Source: Ambito
