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- cross-posted to:
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Summary
Elon Musk’s vocal support for Donald Trump and promotion of far-right conspiracy theories has alienated many Tesla owners, who now express embarrassment over their cars.
Sales of anti-Musk stickers, such as “Anti Elon Tesla Club,” have surged as owners distance themselves from Musk’s politics.
Once admired by liberals for his environmental advocacy, Musk’s alignment with Trump and leadership in his administration have sparked backlash.
While Tesla remains the dominant EV maker, analysts warn Musk’s polarizing image may impact sales as competition grows and Trump plans to cut EV tax incentives.
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I have a beater 97 Corolla. Don’t care about stuff hitting it one bit. I wanna get some kind of funny sticker that’s like “at least it’s not a Tesla” or something like that
We’re going to turn in our death trap next year and get something from an actual car company
Ooh, maybe this means cheaper used Teslas.
…but then you’d have to drive a Tesla. Shit.
May impact sales…
Let’s face it, people seem to be able to tolerate a lot of shit before they ever actually start showing how they feel with their wallets.
Oh I don’t know, the Budweiser stock hit endured pretty lengthy after being advertised by a non-redneck.
I cant stop laughing when I see a Cybertruck. This is the ultimate insecurity toy and the ugliest car ever made.
When they were first released I saw them being driven everywhere. Now they’ve disappeared.
I finally saw one in person and I was a little ashamed to live near someone who made that kind of choice.
I’ve seen at least 8 so far.
Cracks me up every time.
2018 he called a diver that saved kids a pedo. Anyone who bought a Tesla after that can get fucked.
A year after Tesla was started, he invested into it with shitloads of money.
Then he sued Tesla for the “right” to be called a “founder”.
You say that but it’s a pretty recent development that there was any significant alternatives to Tesla in the American EV space. Even now that is one of the only options for buying used at a reasonable price. That is finally starting to change but for a lot of people between 2018 and now the choice was between buying another ICE vehicle or a Tesla. I don’t blame people for overlooking some of Elon’s faults in order to help address climate change, especially since the really crazy side of him wasn’t widely publicized until two-ish years ago.
I would say it started around the pandemic, about 4 years ago
Elon has became more embarrassing for sure.
The fact that it is taking this long still shocks me.
I’ve been seeing more and more of those stickers around the last couple of years. I think this is just the media catching up
be happy it’s happening
Meanwhile, cybertruck owners are doubling down on their wankpanzer purchase.
Cyber truck owners seem like the same people that previously were making fun of EVs.
While I appreciate the gender neutrality, it made me wonder: are there any women who voluntarily own a cyber truck? Every douchebag I see in or posing with one is a guy.
There’s not many women who own trucks in general, cyber or otherwise.
I’m going to need some data for that one before I believe it. In the US, I have known many women who own trucks. I have lived in rural and urban areas and both had plenty of women who owned and drove trucks, including semi cabs. I could believe less by comparison but not “not many” without some data.
Just an anecdotal observation. A very small amount of trucks I see have women driving them. Could be lots of reasons for that but the simplest seems to be that women don’t buy them near as often. I don’t feel like an offhand remark needs a citation, though you’re welcome to look it up if you find the subject interesting enough to warrant further research.
Another explanation is that women who buy trucks are more likely to also buy tinted windows. Which is reasonable because both are ways a woman can feel more secure and protected in a vehicle.
We need to popularize videos of people destroying their teslas and driving away in a better car.
While Tesla remains the dominant EV maker, …
BYD has entered the chat.
The US will just slap enough tariffs to make them roughly the same price as the competition.
No need. You can’t even legally import them.
As your Canadian buddy, do you want a hookup? We’ll meet on the border of Alberta and Montana under the moonlight where the moose crows.
moose crows.
A terrifying hybrid species that weigh a thousand pounds, can fly, and remember the faces of those who have wronged them.
Here you go
I’m not saying no. What can we bring for the trade? I’m not really sure what Canada needs from the US at this point, but we’re willing to be flexible.
lmao Canadians cant import BYD either. Check out the stupid rules for importing cars we have… Gonna have to wait 15 years for those imports.
Yeah - but I bet a few Canada Goose jackets to the right guy will get me a waiver.
And if that doesn’t do it, release the geese.
I’m afraid you’re gonna have to be more specific.
Not if we slap tariffs on Canada…
Enjoy that Aunt Jemima with your pancakes, buddy.
We’ve still got Vermont. We’ll be ok.
As a former Vermonter with a lot of state pride… you’d be amazed how few gallons Vermont actually produces! Also, if shit really hits the fan, we might end up with Vermont too!
I’m not your buddy, guy
I’m not your guy, fella.
I’m not your guy, pal
As is the way of the “free market”. Us automakers aren’t even trying to compete, half their EVS are massive SUVs/trucks instead of smaller, lighter, more effecient designs.
Hoping Aptera takes off tbh
Which is exactly the same pattern they repeated in the 70s. Which is when Japan ate their lunch.
This time though is a little different, with China’s vastly lower worker costs, and possible government subsidization in an attempt to corner the world auto market. I can understand and agree with the 100% tariff.
I’d be fine with the tarrif if there was a manufacturer actually trying to compete. Instead it feels like “nooo we can’t have byds cars here, americans need the electric F250 supercab!!!”
I’d also be fine with the tarrif if there was going to be massive investments in public transit which could reduce the need to own a car and transit tends to be more effecient than even the best EVs and is more fair to more people.
I’d be fine with the tarrif if there was a manufacturer actually trying to compete
What about all the Japanese, Korean, and European brands selling cars here? Is there another market outside of China, where everything is sold well below cost after being built using slave labor and lax environmental regulations, where new cars are as cheap as you want them to be? I think they are competing but the cars are just expensive to build. China is hiding that expense from buyers just long enough for them to try to take over every local market at which time there will be no reason to keep them subsidized because all the competition will be gone.
Everything is getting tariffed that’s not manufactured in the U.S. China is just the highest.
Most of these brands do manufacture in the US, though, and even Ford and GM manufacture in Canada and Mexico. My issue is with people claiming that these tariffs (prior to Trump) are just protectionism for the couple remaining US companies when they’re not. They’re protectionism for the entire US auto market, which mostly consists of foreign brands.
I think it’s a complicated situation but the legitimate reason for the tariffs (not just Musk shoveling money into Tesla) is that battery production is a strategic interest for drones and other military equipment.
I think it’s logical we should make sure the US battery industry is able to develop.
They are very much competing.You’re just confused about what they’re competing in. It’s profit, not size of vehicle, or efficiency or what have you. The F-150 is still the top selling vehicle in North America. Turns out small vehicles make less profit so they stopped making them and inflated the size of all remaining models.
Which is defintely a great strategy to reduce transportation emissions. And clearly everyone NEEDS a truck.
Car companies sell what customers want, not what they need.
Wants that have been created from decades of propaganda by the auto industry.
Do you want a truck too? Or are you the only person capable of resisting the power of auto industry propaganda?
The fact that people in different places do not all want the same cars is strong evidence that their wants result from human agency, not auto propaganda.
A want a decent electric sedan/hatchback but here we are.
A SUV is too big for what I need.
There’s the Bolt, Leaf, MachE, Ioniq…
The SUV costs more upfront, costs more to recharge, has larger tires which cost more and pollute more. The costs really add up fast if you are living on a budget.
Or are car companies only offering the bigger models because they make more profits?
The Chevy Bolt, a subcompact EV, has been around since 2016. The Nissan Leaf has been around since 2010.
Subcompacts of all types, EV and ICE alike, simply don’t sell as well as trucks in the US.
What about the rest of the industry in the US? I don’t know why people focus on the two remaining US ICE manufacturers and ignore the dozens of other foreign manufacturers that sell vehicles here when discussing Chinese EVs.
Ever heard of dumping? Because that’s exactly how you fight it.
Once admired by liberals for his environmental advocacy,
They now know him for the liar that he is.
Not one penny will I willingly give to this monster.
if Musk ever made the affordable car he’s been promising since day 1 I’d be one of these people
He doesn’t deliver on his promises. He didn’t for the people who paid him large amounts for a car, he certainly won’t for the budget minded folk
He already (publicly at least) lost his mind by the time the cyber truck came out but that was the correct direction for a cheap vehicle
Fuck Musk, but the model 3 launched at like $35k and was eligible for a sizeable rebate. If you were already looking to buy a similar sized new car in 2019, it was relatively competitive. I don’t remember what the rebate amount was, but I’m sure it took at least $5k off.
The issue is that instead of continuing that trend of basically replacing the Honda Civic, he built a fugly, terrible, overpriced truck whose existence could only ever be excused by its concept being a make-a-wish request from a now-dead six year old. Alas, there are no dead six year olds to blame for that monstrosity. We should’ve had a reliable and affordable EV accessible to nearly every working family in the country. We should’ve had a whole damn fleet of EV freight trucks, possibly with some autonomous driving, at least across long interstate roads where they would just need to keep pace, stay in lane, and not crash. Instead we got a newer, dumber, more dangerous Hummer.
Again, fuck Musk. He could’ve been okay, but he chose to be awful instead.
I believe he was always awful he was just bad at showing it, the balding man child with no public speaking skills was kinda relateable.
Unfortunately his core audience didn’t get the hairplugs and cocaine nose jobs required to keep him relateable.
I believe he was always awful he was just bad at showing it
You mean he was good at hiding it.
I honestly don’t think he ever tried to hide it, just ask his employees from the time.
He was simply terribly awkward in public and people mistook him for a normal guy.
existence could only ever be excused by its concept being a make-a-wish request from a now-dead six year old. Alas, there are no dead six year olds to blame for that monstrosity.
Brutal but accurate
Former owner here. Such a relief to be rid of it. Never again as long as Musk remains at Tesla.
Out of curiosity. What are you driving now?
Rivian
Moneybags.
I bought it used, so it was way more affordable than you might think.
