Musk faced backlash when he was accused of publicly performing a Nazi salute during a Trump rally in the US. — Reuters
PETALING JAYA: Malaysians on social media are urging others to boycott electric vehicle company Tesla due to its CEO Elon Musk’s controversial political views.On Facebook, a Feb 18 post about a new Tesla model release in Malaysia was met with negative reactions among users with some leaving comments calling the vehicle a "Swasticar".
Musk faced backlash when he was accused of publicly performing a Nazi salute during a Trump rally in the US.
In a post on X, Musk responded to the issue by saying his critics need "better dirty tricks", adding "The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired".
Other netizens also called for a boycott of the company due to Musk's ties to and support of US President Donald Trump, to whom he acts as a senior advisor.
One commenter likened buying a Tesla to supporting Musk and Trump, to which he added “Hard pass”.
Website advertising + marketing cited figures from media intelligence firm Dataxet Nama that overall sentiments on Tesla in Malaysia is "predominantly negative" at 85%, followed by 10% positive and 5% neutral.
Tesla has also faced calls for boycotts in other countries including Poland where a government ministry said "no normal Poles should buy a Tesla anymore" after Musk made an appearance at a far-right political rally in Germany.
On its home turf, the EV maker is also contending with a burgeoning ‘Tesla Takedown’ movement, with supporters mobilising for street protests and urging fellow Americans to sell their Tesla cars and Tesla stock – all in an attempt to dent the company’s share price and hopefully hit Musk in his wallet.
Financial Post reported that a Tesla fan club in Canada plans to distribute bumper stickers so owners can distance themselves from Musk.
Tesla entered the Malaysian market in 2023 with vehicles now starting from RM181,000 (Model 3 RWD). It launched the facelifted Model Y last week.
