Tesla to open new Brisbane showroom, but Musk has ensured I won’t be among its buyers

A few years back, I decided my next car would be a Tesla.

The purchase was still some time off – my trusty hatchback was still pretty new and there were some questions about how to charge a Tesla in my unit complex’s shared car park.

But, in principle, the decision had been made: when it came time to get a new car, it would be electric. And, it would be a Tesla.

Yes, you did see what you thought you saw.Credit: Eric Lee/NYT

Then Elon Musk went all “red pill”. His transformation from would-be world saviour to fascistic DOGEbag was slow but clear, even before that salute (and yes, it was exactly what it looked like).

Now, the sight of Teslas in the streets – and there are many these days – evokes an almost visceral reaction of disgust.

Driving a Tesla has become the automotive equivalent of wearing a bright-red MAGA hat, or a bright-red armband over a brown shirt. Thanks, but no thanks.

One of four Teslas parked in different streets that went up in flames on the same night in Berlin this month. Credit: Getty Images

And I’m not alone.

Tesla sales are diving as quickly as its stock price. Cars are being vandalised (if you think that’s a good idea, it’s not), showrooms are being blockaded. The very customers Tesla appealed to most, those well-to-do progressives, are being repelled by Musk’s alliance with – and funding of – the far-right.

Which all makes the company’s latest foray into Brisbane a little ill-timed at best.

Residents near Red Hill’s Normanby Hotel have started to receive notices in their letterboxes alerting them to some upcoming out-of-hours construction work for a new Tesla showroom and service centre on Musgrave Road.

Plans for the Red Hill Tesla dealership submitted to Brisbane City Council.Credit: Brisbane City Council DA

It’s a development that has been more than two years in the making, since the plans were initially lodged with Brisbane City Council in 2022.

Located in the former Queensland Egg Board building, the 370-square-metre showroom would be built on level two – fronting Musgrave Road – with the service centre located in the two levels below.

It’s an ambitious expansion for the EV giant, but how will the company fare at its new location?

On the face of it, Brisbane’s well-heeled inner-west is a prime location for EVs. It has a progressive population – Red Hill has Greens representation at both the federal and council level – and almost half of all registered electric vehicles in Queensland are in the capital.

That shows a ready-made market.

But it’s that very market that would find Musk’s recent antics the most abhorrent.

Tesla remains the dominant EV in Queensland – in December 2024, the company commanded a 49 per cent share in the state.

An impressive statistic, to be sure, but compare that to December 2023, when Teslas accounted for 52 per cent, or January 2021, when 60 per cent of all EVs in Queensland were Teslas.

Tesla still has a dominant share, but it’s a shrinking one – and with Elon Musk at the helm, it’s hard to imagine that trend being reversed.

As for my automotive future, an EV remains a certainty. Just as certain, it won’t be bought in Red Hill.

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