Tesla Drivers Say Musk Makes Them Look Like Fascists So They’re Suing

  • A group of Tesla drivers in France are taking legal action against the company.
  • They claim CEO Elon Musk’s recent actions have damaged their own reputations.
  • The group says Teslas now carry far-right connotations and want rid of their EVs.

Most car buyers would struggle to name the CEO behind the company that made their vehicle, let alone list his or her political viewpoints. But Elon Musk is no ordinary CEO, and his views are both well-known and incredibly controversial. So much so that a group of French Tesla owners is now suing the company, claiming Musk is damaging their reputations.

The group claims Musk’s actions, including publicly supporting Germany’s far-right AfD party, and his association with US President Donald Trump, whose White House return he helped bankroll, have made Tesla’s EVs symbols of extremist political views and thinking.

Related: Musk’s Feud With Trump May Have Just Scored Cybertruck Buyers A Deal

“Tesla vehicles have become powerful political symbols and are now perceived as true far-right ‘totems,’ much to the dismay of those who purchased them solely as innovative and eco-friendly vehicles”, the plaintiffs’ law firm GKA said in a statement reported by Reuters.

The humiliated Tesla owners engaged GKA to help them terminate their EV’s lease deals and recover the legal fees involved in making it happen. Although the group’s members could exit their deals without legal help they’d almost certainly be hit with large financial penalties for doing so.

Sales Slide, Especially in Europe

Tesla Drivers Say Musk Makes Them Look Like Fascists So They’re Suing
Tesla

This news from France comes as the automaker’s sales in the country – and across most of Europe – have fallen markedly in recent months. Tesla sales were down 67 percent in France this May versus the same month in 2024, and in Sweden they dropped 54 precent despite the arrival of the facelifted Model Y, previously Europe’s best-selling car. The one exception was EV-loving Norway, where Tesla sales jumped 213 percent.

The French lawsuit will further exasperate some Tesla investors who see Musk – once hailed as a visionary hero whose image actually helped drive sales – as a liability that is now damaging the reputation and performance of his company.

And having earned the dislike of the left-leaning drivers who previously coveted his cars, Musk has recently risked alienating right-leaning potential buyers with his very public spat – and eventual split -with President Donald Trump.

The feud resulted in Tesla stock plummeting, though the price has recovered slightly since Musk admitted he might have got carried away with his comments, which included claiming Trump’s name was in the Epstein files, a series of documents relating to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Tesla Drivers Say Musk Makes Them Look Like Fascists So They’re Suing
White House / YouTube


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