Qld’s Tesla sales plunge after Elon Musk backlash

Sales of Tesla cars have halved in Queensland in the wake of widespread protests overseas against the brand’s controversial CEO Elon Musk.

Tesla driver Paul Gehan has spoken out after vandalism in US and Europe targeting the brand's vehicles. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

Queensland’s Tesla sales have halved following protests in the United States and Europe against its boss Elon Musk.

Electric Vehicle Council data showed the brand’s sales plunged to 439 in March, less than half of the same period figure last year.

The fall started from January this year as United States President Donald Trump took over the White House for his second term and appointed Tesla’s CEO as the lead of the controversial Department of Government Efficiency.

As a result, the second-hand Tesla market has been growing, with an 11 per cent jump in a month after December.

There were 237 used cars listed on carsales.com last month, with at least five wanting to sell their 2024 models.

The backlash against the US leader and Mr Musk grew into protests and vandalism against Tesla showrooms, dealerships and charging stations overseas.

The brand’s vehicles were targeted over various locations in the US and Europe, with dozens being burnt down.

In Australia a Tasmanian dealership was tagged with the phrase “down with DOGE” last month.

A vehicle burnt out at a Tesla service centre in Las Vegas. Picture: Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP

A Tesla car dealership doused in blue paint in Berlin. Picture: Omer Messinger/Getty Images

The pioneer remained as the best-selling brand in the industry, but Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries figures, which records major car brands other than Tesla, showed the electric car market plunged.

FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said the figure was consistent with a number of other advanced markets around the world.

“We are at a critical point in transitioning to a lower-emission vehicle fleet, but the reality is clear: Australian families and businesses are not shifting in large numbers to EVs,” he said.

“While the supply of EVs is increasing, now with 89 models available in Australia, the demand for EVs is weak. The early adopters have acted but the rest of the vehicle-buying public has not followed.”

Some Tesla drivers have attempted to disguise their cars as other brands’ vehicles for fear of potential damage.

Car rental company ShareEV operations manager Sarah Tioli said there had been some interesting comments on their advertisements, including memes.

“We still have the same demand and the same utilisation of the fleet that we had six months ago,” she said.

“To be honest, there hasn’t been big changes. I believe if people aren’t happy about buying Tesla, they will definitely find alternatives in the market.”

Ms Tioli said ShareEV’s fleet, of which 70 per cent were Teslas, had not experienced any vandalism.

Brisbane man Rado Trenciansky, who has owned a Model S for eight years, said he was generally concerned about the vandalism.

“I think we are in a very different market here in Australia. These cars are not made here, and we are still distant from the political situation in the US,” he said.

“I would like this to remain and hope that people are wise enough not to damage private property, because Teslas are recording everyone around.

“I hope that common sense prevails, and people actually realise how silly that is to cause damage to personal property for some weird political reason or whatever the reason might be.”

Mr Trenciansky said he appreciated the brand’s charger network and its software.

“We use products every day and without even thinking who is behind them and who is the CEO and what he has said and done,” he said.

“If anyone had two days with the Tesla products, they would very quickly forget what Elon said or has done.”

Auto retailer My Tesla Accessories founder Paul Gehan, who also owns two of the brand’s cars, said he was not concerned.

“As a Tesla business and a Tesla owner, it is my belief that there's a drop in sales at the moment and an increase used Teslas available [was] because a lot of people are preparing for the new model Y, which comes out in May and June this year,” he said.

Mr Gehan said the federal government supported electric vehicles for the lower emission standard, and the community would also switch due to the low operating cost.

“The cost of owning an EV is so much cheaper, because there’s no maintenance; there’s no repair,” he said.

“The benefit of owning a Tesla is the charging network, because the superchargers are scattered and freely available for use and at a reasonable price.”

Tesla has also been developing the state’s sixth showroom at the old Queensland Egg Board site in Red Hill, with a notice sent to neighbours just weeks ago.

Tesla declined to comment.

Originally published as Qld’s Tesla sales plunge after Elon Musk backlash