Elon Musk is notoriously contentious on social media for expressing his views on a wide range of political issues, such as his discontent with the Biden administration and posting provocative tweets.
Some would-be Tesla customers are scared off by the CEO’s contentious past, which hasn’t helped their decision-making process. The electric car manufacturer does not have the luxury of time to lose any consumers; therefore, this comes as a huge setback.
Democrats make up a sizable portion of Tesla’s customer base. According to the New Vehicle Experience Study by Strategic Vision, a research group that polls 250,000 customers, they accounted for a substantial 40% of sales for model years 2022 and 2023.
The 2024 model year, which started in October and November of the previous year, saw a decline in the proportion to 15%. From 2022 to 2023, the percentage of consumers identified as Republicans increased somewhat, from 29% to 32% in October and November 2023. The increase from 28% to 44% was considerably more pronounced among Independents.
According to Alexander Edwards, head of Strategic Vision, Musk suffered heavy criticism at the time for his remarks on X, which included endorsing an anti-Semitic message and slamming businesses who pulled their ads from the social networking site. (Musk went on to visit Auschwitz and Israel after retracting the anti-Semitic remark.)
Many reasons have contributed to Musk’s present situation, including the quantity of alternative EVs and the general decrease in the market. Tesla, formerly the undisputed leader in the electric vehicle market, is at a crossroads. The first quarter of this year saw a sharp drop in sales worldwide, and the corporation is expected to announce its worst quarterly results seven years later this week. Musk has just notified workers that the firm will cut its worldwide workforce by over 10% or around 14,000 people, and the stock price will fall.
Having a CEO recognized for fighting progressive culture at the head of a business that makes electric automobiles creates an inherent tension.
