"It worked for my life because I'm in my car all the time, says the realtor, who drives weekly from Los Angeles 80 miles north to Ojai, California. It felt efficient. It was zippy. It was intuitive. It was exactly what I needed. But she didn't love the reputation of Tesla co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk, who's polarized consumers by engaging in public spats with presidents and endorsing an antisemitic post on X, the social media site he owns."
"Customer-experience measurer Creative Strategies cited owner frustration with Musk as a distinct vulnerability for Tesla back in 2022. Research firm Escalent found in a 2021 study of EV owners that Musk was considered among the top drawbacks of the brand. Tesla would do a lot better if it wasn't polarizing in that way, on either side, says Anthony Salerno, senior vice president of automotive analytics at J.D. Power, a global analysis and consumer intelligence firm."
"Sales results show Tesla Inc. is indeed struggling even as its fourth-quarter adjusted earnings exceeded analysts' estimates. In 2025, sales declined 9% worldwide. US sales fell 7% from 2024, according to Cox Automotive; in California, its biggest US market, the percentage of Teslas among all newly registered vehicles dropped to under 10% in 2025, down from 11.6% in 2024, according to Experian."
A Tesla owner traded her 2021 Model S for an electric Audi Q4 e-tron because she did not want to signal support for Elon Musk. Musk has engaged in public spats with presidents and endorsed an antisemitic post on X. In 2024 he was sued for sexual harassment and accused of erratic ketamine and other drug use; he denied the harassment claims and said he took ketamine under prescription years ago. Consumer research firms found owner frustration with Musk as a brand vulnerability, and J.D. Power analysts said Tesla would benefit from being less polarizing. Tesla's sales fell worldwide and in key U.S. markets in 2025.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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