It's no longer funny How Musk's right turn has left a dent in the Tesla brand

How Musk's right turn has left a dent in the Tesla brand

- Ashifa Kassam

When Mike Schwede first sat in a Tesla Roadster 15 years ago, he felt as if it was a glimpse into the future. By 2016, he was the proud owner of a Tesla, revelling in the thumbs up he would get from other drivers as he whizzed along Europe's highways in the electric vehicle.

But the sheen of owning a Tesla is wearing off. For years the brand has been synonymous with Elon Musk and his stance against the climate crisis. Recently, Schwede watched aghast as the Tesla boss poured hundreds of millions into backing Donald Trump as he made promises to ramp up domestic oil and gas production.

"He was getting more and more weird," said Schwede, an entrepreneur and digital strategist based in Switzerland. The final straw came when Musk made back-to-back fascist-style salutes during Trump's inauguration in January. "I felt nothing but utter disgust," said Schwede. "And I no longer enjoyed sitting in my Tesla."

Sales of new Tesla cars almost halved in Europe last month, according to yesterday's data from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association. Analysts were scrambling to assess how far this was due to customers shunning the brand because of Musk's shift to far-right politics.

The Texas-based carmaker sold 9,945 vehicles in Europe in January, down 45% from last year's 18,161, the association said.

Now, there are signs existing Tesla owners who have become disgruntled with Musk's views are making their anger heard.

Schwede contemplated selling his car, but after racking up more than 60,000 miles, there was little value left in it. So he came up with his own means of reclaiming his Tesla and the liberal ethos that had underpinned his purchase; he began donating 10 cents for every kilometre he drove to charities, countering Musk's support of the far right with direct support to those who help LGBTQ+ youth or fight hate and extremism. "It was something Elon wouldn't like," he said. "That's my personal revenge."