1 week ago
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He may be one of the most well-known car brand CEOs of the 21st century, but Elon Musk certainly has people talking about him at both ends of the love-hate spectrum. One Tesla Model Y owner took it to the next level with this cheeky bumper sticker.
The photo on the r/CarsAustralia Reddit group shows a white Model Y with the bumper sticker "bought it before we knew how awful he is". The undertones are that the owner purchased the Tesla before Elon Musk became an outspoken political figure.
The comment section was littered with different opinions, some even telling the owner to be quiet or sell their car.
"I don't look at a Tesla and think, 'Oh, that person has X politics' or 'They must really love Elon'," said one user. "They bought a car and are being more Americanised because of the sticker. Most Aussies wouldn't have a clue who someone else voted for because we don't make it our personalities."
"Either sell the car and live by your principles or shut up and drive it," scathed another.
"This is ridiculous. It's not as if anyone who buys a Ranger is necessarily a supporter of Jim Farley, nor is anyone who buys a Camry a fan of Akio Toyoda. Is everyone buying some gizmo from Amazon endorsing Jeff Bezos?" wrote another.
It does open the conversation of separating the product from its creator. Many have outwardly condemned Musk for his support of the Trump campaign and other political views, saying they would never buy a Tesla again.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images.
"Tesla owner. I'll never buy a combustion car again, but Musk's behaviour has also convinced me that I'll never buy another Tesla. I got my car in 2022 before he went all the way off the deep end, which also means by the time I'm looking to upgrade basically every other manufacturer will have an option I can look at," said one user.
"I can appreciate what Tesla has done for the EV movement, but I will NEVER buy one while he is able to profit from it," said another.
"I specifically avoided Tesla when I was EV shopping because of Musk," simply stated one user.
Not only has Elon had a bad reception online, but the brand was actually voted one of the least trustworthy car brands in Australia for 2023.
Every two months, 2000 Australians are surveyed by Roy Morgan, an Australian market research company, to find out where major brands sit on the trust and distrust ladder.
Annually, Roy Morgan collects 25,000 of these unique Australian opinions, and it has just released its automotive statistics for 2023.
When compared to Toyota, the most trusted car brand in Australia, Roy Morgan spokesperson Allen Wei told Drive that Tesla likely sits in that spot due to Elon Musk's media presence.
"Toyota has built a reservoir of trust over many years based on the brand's reliability and good quality. Tesla, on the other hand, has experienced heightened levels of distrust over the last 12 months due to a strong negative perception of Elon Musk," Wei told Drive.
Regardless of the comments, the Tesla Model Y has consistently been one of the best selling electric vehicles in Australia since its introduction into the market in 2022. It took top spot in the VFACTS rankings in 2023, and second place only to the Model 3 in 2022.
Sales for 2024 are looking even better for Tesla. The Model Y and Model 3 are blowing all competition out of the water, with the third quarter 2024 VFACTS report showing 16,697 Model Y sales and 14,053 Model 3 sales for the year to date.
That's quite an increase in sales over the competition, with the same statistics showing the BYD Seal in third place with 5308 sales and the BYD Atto 3 in fourth place with 4926.
Musk's political views may impact the public's perception of the brand, but they've seemingly had no impact on Tesla's sales in Australia.
Zane Dobie comes from a background of motorcycle journalism, working for notable titles such as Australian Motorcycle News Magazine, Just Bikes and BikeReview. Despite his fresh age, Zane brings a lifetime of racing and hands-on experience. His passion now resides on four wheels as an avid car collector, restorer, drift car pilot and weekend go-kart racer.
