Musk risks putting EU buyers off Tesla

PARIS, Feb 09 (AFP): Elon Musk's rapprochement with US President Donald Trump, his backing of European far-right parties and attacks on diversity policies could drive European buyers away from Tesla, analysts say.

In both Germany and France, sales of the electric pioneer's cars were halved year-on-year in January 2025, while a series of isolated incidents targeting Tesla have set off alarm bells among buyers and industry analysts alike.

"Nobody wants to be associated with Musk's behaviour," said German automotive industry expert Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer. Yet the brand and its boss are "almost inseparable", he added. The backlash has been particularly strong in Germany, where Musk has voiced firm support for the far-right AfD party-a political taboo in a country where the Nazi past remains a sensitive subject.

Stickers bearing the message "I bought this car before Elon went crazy" started showing up on German Tesla cars, as they had in the United States.

Musk, the world's richest man, also drew uproar with a gesture at a Trump rally critics likened to a Nazi salute-allegations which the Tesla boss has rejected.

At the end of January, activists projected a giant image of Musk's gesture and the word "Heil" onto the outside of a Tesla plant near Berlin.

"Germany remains very sensitive to its history and Musk's political rhetoric is potentially toxic, given that Tesla consumers are partly motivated by environmental concerns," said German automotive analyst Matthias Schmidt.

"The car is good," 60-year-old Enrico Parano said about his Tesla.