Elon Musk’s desperate new move as Tesla attacks continue

Over 80 Teslas have been damaged in yet another attack on the Elon Musk-run car company, as tensions soar over his role in the White House.

A Tesla dealership in Canada has become the latest flashpoint in a growing backlash against Elon Musk’s expanding influence.

According to Hamilton Police, upwards of 80 Teslas parked outdoors were damaged on Wednesday — the largest act of vandalism against the US electric carmaker in Canada to date.

Police described “deep scratches and punctured tires” across dozens of vehicles.

Since Donald Trump appointed Musk to head the newly minted Department of Government Efficiency, Tesla has found itself a symbol of innovation to some, but has also become a lightning rod for protests.

Canadian Trump critics have rallied against the new President after his calls to make the nation America’s “51st state”, with analysts predicting widespread discontent to flourish in nations Mr Trump has actively antagonised.

His inclusion of the world’s richest man in his White House brains trust has only poured fuel on the fire, with progressives in North America claiming corruption.

A Tesla dealership in Canada has become the latest flashpoint in a growing backlash against Elon Musk’s expanding influence. (Photo by Katherine KY Cheng / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

According to Hamilton Police, upwards of 80 Teslas parked outdoors were damaged on Wednesday — the largest act of vandalism against the US electric carmaker in Canada to date. (Photo by Katherine KY Cheng / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

There have been scattered incidents involving burned-out Teslas in recent weeks, and Musk has moved to boost security despite tensions at the fever pitch.

A recent incident in London, Ontario, left a 2025 Model S scorched a local parking lot. And in Montreal, two climate activists were arrested after allegedly spray-painting the exterior of another Tesla dealership.

The group behind the act accused Musk of “destroying democracies and spreading climate denial”.

In Hamilton, police are treating the incident as “a series of mischiefs” and have asked the public for help while they review CCTV footage.

A Vancouver auto show has now moved to pull Tesla from its lineup this week, citing “safety concerns”.

Tesla is now stepping up security at its dealerships, employing its very own “Sentry Mode” at all times when displayed in public.

“Tesla has ramped up security and activated Sentry Mode on all vehicles at stores,” Musk tweeted.

When enabled, Sentry Mode keeps a vehicle’s camera and sensors powered on and ready to record suspicious activity.

“Think of Sentry Mode as an intelligent vehicle security system that alerts you when it detects possible threats nearby,” according to the Tesla Model 3 owners manual.

There have been scattered incidents involving burned out Teslas in recent weeks and Musk has made a move to boost security with tensions at fever pitch.

Investor exodus as Tesla struggles

Tesla board members and top executives have offloaded more than USD $100 million ($168m) in shares in recent weeks.

Federal filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reveal that four senior figures at Tesla, including chief executive Elon Musk’s brother, Kimbal Musk, have cashed out significant holdings.

The biggest cash out has been by Tesla’s Chair Robyn Denholm who has sold USD $75 million ($118m) worth of stock in two major transactions over the past five weeks.

The Australian executive, a former chief financial officer at Telstra, took over from Musk as Tesla chair in 2018.

Reuters reported in March that Denholm is believed to have sold $US532 million ($836m) in shares since joining the company.

Elon’s brother Kimbal Musk unloaded 75,000 shares worth USD $27 million ($42.5m) in February.

Tesla’s chief financial officer sold more than $5 million in shares in recent weeks.

Tesla board members and top executives have offloaded more than USD $100 million ($168m) in shares in recent weeks. (Photo by Allison ROBBERT / POOL / AFP)

Some of these sales were part of scheduled sales plans but the sheer volume of stock being sold by senior Tesla figures has raised red flags among investors.

Beyond insider stock sales, broader investment has also turned.

According to Stake market analyst Samy Sriram, Tesla sell orders on the platform have surged by 30 per cent in the past week – the biggest increase of any stock.

“High-volume selling from executives can sometimes be perceived as a signal that insiders know something negative about the company, or simply believe that shares are overvalued.” she said.

Short sellers beating against Tesla have reaped more than USD $16 billion in paper profits from the steep drop in Tesla’s share price over the past three months.

Originally published as Elon Musk’s desperate new move as Tesla attacks continue