‘Toxic’: Tesla customers turn backs on Musk

Elon Musk’s Twitter meltdowns and ‘toxic behaviour’ are ‘tanking’ Tesla as customers turn their backs on the brand.

Elon Musk’s Twitter meltdowns and ‘toxic behaviour’ are ‘tanking’ Tesla as customers turn their backs on the brand. Picture: Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images.

A YouGov poll found that Tesla’s net-positive rating among car shoppers dropped from positive 5.9 per cent at the start of 2022 to negative 1.4 per cent last month.

Some auto consumers are saying the electric car company’s CEO, Elon Musk, and his recent behaviour are triggering a change of heart toward the brand, The US Sun reported.

CNET reports that two motorists placed calls to cancel their Tesla pre-orders.

One of the two car shoppers, Heather, disliked some of Musk’s recent Twitter activity.

On December 11, Musk tweeted: “My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci.”

My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 11, 2022

The tweet was a jab toward people who use non-binary pronouns and Dr Anthony Fauci, America’s top immunologist.

The New York Times highlights how Dr Fauci previously disagreed with former President Donald Trump on how the US should re-open in response to Covid-19.

CNET says another car consumer named Tom found Musk’s new-found Twitter leadership to be erratic.

On December 18, Musk tweeted a poll with the question: “Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll.”

Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 18, 2022

Once 57.5 per cent of the poll’s participants voted that Musk should step down as Twitter’s CEO, Musk said: “I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job! After that, I will just run the software & servers teams.”

When Heather and Tom called Tesla to cancel their vehicle pre-orders over Musk-related frustration, a salesperson told both shoppers: “We’re hearing a lot of that,” CNET reports.

A Tesla owner and biotech executive named Heather added: “His [Elon Musk’s] personality is absolutely tanking the Tesla brand,” according to CNET.

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Tesla shares have dropped over 38 per cent since Musk struck his Twitter deal on October 27. Picture: Thomas Niedermueller/Getty Images.

Tesla shares have dropped over 38 per cent since Musk struck his Twitter deal on October 27.

Two years ago, Tesla represented 79 per cent of electric vehicles (EVs) registered in the U.S.

This year, Tesla has a 65 per cent EV market share.

By 2025, S&P predicts that Tesla’s EV market share will fall below 20 per cent as new and less expensive electric models hit the market – Fortune reports.

The US Sun reached out to Twitter for a comment but did not receive an immediate response.

This article originally appeared on The US Sun and was reproduced with permission