Is anyone surprised by this? Europeans still vividly remember, and are reminded, of the cost of WWII. When the head of a company, no matter how trendy, sieg heils on stage (twice!) and then goes on to publicly appear at far-right german political rallies - europeans take note, and act accordingly.
In Europe EV adoption is really driven by a concerted effort by individual buyers wanting to make green choices. And Musk has completely alienated all support from that buyer base. I don't see Tesla ever recovering its green credentials, and as a consequence ever recovering its sales or second-hand value.
Tesla used to be: Unmatched software(+), unmatched electronics(+), Save the planet(+), great subsidies(+), electric car that doesn't look weird(+), USA and Startups and the future(+), unmatched acceleration(+), low built quality(-), Shitty driving dynamics(-)
Now alternatives are pretty good, so still Unmatched software(+) but the difference is not that big and the rest doesn't look good. No longer saving the planet because you don't save the planet with fascists, USA is no longer cool(hostile and clown-like), tech guys are no longer cool(greedy and sleazy and meddle with politics instead of doing cool shit), the design is dated and boring now and there are many alternatives doing much better in many other characteristics.
So Tesla still sells very well when the price is right, match the new situation and it sells. Tasla sells like hot cakes in Turkey for example because they introduced a version specifically for the Turkish regulations and that particular configuration is taxed just %10 when the cheapest petrol cars are taxed %80. AFAIK Tesla keeps selling well in Norway too.
What’s the point in a luxury brand where you’re embarrassed to be seen displaying the logo? I don’t think I’ve ever seen brand impairment like this that didn’t result in the brand being retired. The only way forward I can see for them in Europe is partnership with a European firm and I can’t see that working either.
Aside problems with Musk it has to be said that the model lineup of Tesla is poor by today’s Euopean standards. We have lots of models and brands available in all sizes, luxurious and expensive to small and fun. Tesla was a great choice in 2019, but now it is just one among many and it doesn’t boast a great design or interesting imterior.
One thing is obviously Musk with his Nazi salutes and open support to the far right in multiple European countries, including Germany. This, to me, is enough to mock anyone who would buy a Tesla after those events.
The other thing is that Tesla is a US company. I suspect that many people outside the US look for alternatives to US products. The more expensive the product, the more important the decision. And Teslas are by far not the best EVs (clearly not an ecological car, not the cheapest, ...), so it's easy to go for an alternative.
And then, for people who wouldn't mind so much what Musk and Trump and their band are doing, it is anyway a risk: people in the street will judge you if you drive in a Tesla. Many drivers have put stickers on their Tesla to show they don't support Musk ("I bought it before Musk became crazy"), but they can't do that with a new model. Buying a new Tesla that was clearly built after those events is a great risk (Teslas have been burned even though they had been bought before the madness).
All that to say, I'm surprised to see that there are still Tesla sales in Europe at all.
Writing from Germany the first association with Tesla is Musk and following that his Nazi stuff and involvement with the current US chaos. The brand name Tesla is burned and it will need years of good behavior to bring it back to neutral. If Tesla wants to sell cars here, they need a new company name.
Europe is economically strained right now. Inflation has hit hard, with housing costs skyrocketing even in less expensive countries, and people are being gentrified out of their own cities. Its no time to be buying expensive vanity cars. People cant even buy normal cars right now.
How is buying from Chinese companies embracing the CCP? BYD didn't do anything to Uighurs. The US is also supporting something much worse than what China has done at this moment, so if we use the same logic, we shouldn't be buying anything produced by US companies.
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[ 3.0 ms ] story [ 46.8 ms ] threadIf only we could solve starlink pollution as easily but privatize the profits, socialize the costs
https://satellitemap.space/
I wouldn't romanticize it that much.
Tesla used to be: Unmatched software(+), unmatched electronics(+), Save the planet(+), great subsidies(+), electric car that doesn't look weird(+), USA and Startups and the future(+), unmatched acceleration(+), low built quality(-), Shitty driving dynamics(-)
Now alternatives are pretty good, so still Unmatched software(+) but the difference is not that big and the rest doesn't look good. No longer saving the planet because you don't save the planet with fascists, USA is no longer cool(hostile and clown-like), tech guys are no longer cool(greedy and sleazy and meddle with politics instead of doing cool shit), the design is dated and boring now and there are many alternatives doing much better in many other characteristics.
So Tesla still sells very well when the price is right, match the new situation and it sells. Tasla sells like hot cakes in Turkey for example because they introduced a version specifically for the Turkish regulations and that particular configuration is taxed just %10 when the cheapest petrol cars are taxed %80. AFAIK Tesla keeps selling well in Norway too.
No turn signal stalks? Need to quickly reverse if you stuck your nose out too far? (no stalk anymore) Need defrost now? (search on touchscreen)
I think it's now "cost-cuting ergonomic poverty", sort of like how macs lost too many ports.
Car ownership is expensive and unnecessary so people with wealth bought the environmentally positive status symbols. There was simply no equivalent.
I wonder what will replace it.
The other thing is that Tesla is a US company. I suspect that many people outside the US look for alternatives to US products. The more expensive the product, the more important the decision. And Teslas are by far not the best EVs (clearly not an ecological car, not the cheapest, ...), so it's easy to go for an alternative.
And then, for people who wouldn't mind so much what Musk and Trump and their band are doing, it is anyway a risk: people in the street will judge you if you drive in a Tesla. Many drivers have put stickers on their Tesla to show they don't support Musk ("I bought it before Musk became crazy"), but they can't do that with a new model. Buying a new Tesla that was clearly built after those events is a great risk (Teslas have been burned even though they had been bought before the madness).
All that to say, I'm surprised to see that there are still Tesla sales in Europe at all.
Not sure that makes sense. The Uighurs need better PR, I guess.