This won’t be the first time that Musk’s controversial persona was said to have a detrimental impact on Tesla’s electric car sales. In 2021, the Heatmap Climate Poll conducted a survey and reported that 36% of Americans aiming to jump on the EV bandwagon reckon Musk’s escapades are souring the Tesla dream for them. A study published by Creative Strategies in 2022 found that Tesla owners loved their cars, “but were starting to get frustrated with Elon Musk as a brand ambassador” due to his antics.
“Elon Musk is among the top drawbacks in their consideration of the brand,” said another customer analysis by research firm Escalent. A Bloomberg report that collected testimonies from Tesla owners also arrived at a similar conclusion. In fact, it’s not just prospective customers and investors that are apparently unhappy with Musk’s actions, but also existing owners who are not a fan of his conduct. Another Bloomberg survey conducted nearly half a decade after the Model 3 went on sale also pointed out that disapproval of Musk’s opinions is a key reason they were considering selling their Tesla cars.
But more than just his persona, it seems some of his business policies are also going to irk buyers in the future. According to CNBC, Musk has ordered employees to give a Full Self-Driving (FSD) demo to all customers prior to delivery. “I know this will slow down the delivery process, but it is nonetheless a hard requirement,” Musk was quoted as saying.
