The actions of a powerful global figurehead of a car brand can have ramifications that surely won’t sit easily with its board of directors, wonders Professor Jim Saker, regular Automotive Management contributor and president of the Institute of the Motor Industry.
Oliver Knowles, Ben Stewart, James Sadri and Will Rose are not household names. They are the founders of Led By Donkeys, the campaign organisers who used projection and poster campaigns to call out what they believed to be injustice during Brexit, COVID and more politicians primarily from the Conservative and Reform Parties. Along with the COVID -19 Bereaved Families for Justice Group they organised the National Covid Memorial Wall.
Their names may not be well known but they are taking on someone who is increasingly in the public spotlight – Elon Musk.
What is the connection between these four Brits and the world’s richest man?
On Jan 23, 2025, Led By Donkeys projected a video onto the Tesla Giga factory in Berlin showing Musk giving what many describe as a Nazi salute at a rally to celebrate Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony. The video then went on to highlight Musk’s tweets of support for far-right activists, like Tommy Robinson who is currently in jail for 18 months for contempt of court for repeating false claims against a Syrian refugee, and like Andrew McIntyre who has been jailed for seven and a half years for inciting the Southport riots. Musk has also supported other far right parties across Europe. The video ends with the statement ‘When you buy a Tesla you are backing a far-right activist.’
Since Musk’s moment to markTrump’s inauguration there have been some instances in Europe where Teslas have had swastikas daubed on their paintwork in vandalism attacks.
From a motor industry perspective, this raises a number of concerning questions.
If this type of messaging becomes stronger, will it have a detrimental effect on the Tesla brand and ultimately on sales? This isn’t some form of ‘woke’ posturing but a serious issue that involves both politics and social order in and across Europe.
And to what extent do the public identify Tesla with Musk and will mainstream society try to distance themselves from the far-right rhetoric that he appears to be espousing?
With the strong link between the two there will be increased difficulty in positioning the brand away from his fascist philosophy.
In the UK Tesla’s sales in January were marginally down but in France the January sales were down 63%, Sweden 44%, Norway 38% and in the Netherlands 42%, all coinciding with Musk’s entry into US politics.
The question is how long will it take for the trend to occur in the UK? How long before a middle-class family starts to feel uncomfortable having a Tesla charging on their driveway?
Added to this, how long will companies who have value statements about equity, diversity and inclusion continue to have Tesla as a company car option?
If Musk continues to present as a far-right fascist supporter, then some boardrooms will need to make decisions, especially if they get complaints from employees who feel threatened by the narrative of the far right.