The shine is wearing off for some Tesla owners who are unhappy with the role Elon Musk is playing in Donald Trump’s administration.
At the Tesla supercharging station at Place Vertu, new Tesla owner Nabil Aitidir is having a bit of buyer’s remorse.
“To be honest with you, if that happened before I bought this one, I wouldn’t buy it. Just to support my country,” Aitidir told CTV News.
That’s the exact sentiment on a bumper sticker that’s seems to be gaining in popularity, mocking Musk by saying “I Bought This Before We Knew Elon Was Crazy.”
“It has sustained huge numbers every day. We’re talking about 500 sales per day,” Matthew Hiller, creator of Mad Puffer Stickers, said in an interview from Hawaii.
- Tesla raising prices for its vehicles in Canada by up to $9,000 starting Feb. 1
- Cold saps up to 40% of EV battery life, CAA test finds
Hiller says since the inauguration, a big slice of those sales have been coming from Canada.
In Ottawa, NDP leader Jagmeet singh is calling for 100 per cent tariffs on Teslas
“He thinks he can pick a fight with Canada. He thinks he can say that we should be the 51st state. We’re going to hit him back,” Singh said on Monday.
Blowback against Tesla has been happening around the world. Last month, in Germany, activists projected the image of Musk’s controversial salute on the side of a Tesla plant.
More choices in the EV market
But automotive journalist Matt St-Pierre says Tesla is facing other issues as well — its product line is aging and there is a flood of new competition in the EV market.
“In North America, Tesla is still excessively strong. But with the competition with his rhetoric, it’s going to hurt more and more,” St-Pierre said.
For other Tesla owners, though, it’s easier to separate the car from the CEO.
“I don’t follow politics, but I know I’ve had my Tesla since two years, and I’m happy with it,” one driver told CTV News.
To those considering selling or boycotting Tesla, the vice-president of the Quebec Tesla owners club says there’s more to the company than its CEO.
“If fighting climate change and accelerating EV adoption matters to you, then Tesla remains one of the most influential companies in the space and one of the best products in the space,” Club Tesla Quebec’s Gad Elmoznino said. “So, I think there are other ways to make your voice heard.
But not all agree.
“He does a great job on his cars. But, you know, at the end of the day, we have to protect ourselves,” said Aitidir.
