The European Union has proposed legislation to reduce carbon emissions from new cars and vans by 100% by 2035, which is likely to bring more competition from European carmakers into the market.
There is also a growing sense that Musk’s behavior since taking control of Twitter has made Tesla’s predicament even worse.
Over the past year, Musk has used Twitter to call for charges against former director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci (“My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci”), and is taking on Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. public spending and inflation, and placed itself at the center of the debate on freedom of expression. He attacks critics, questioning, among other things, the size of their testicles.
A November analysis of the world’s 100 largest brands by New York-based consultancy Interbrand estimated Tesla’s 2022 brand value at $48 billion, up 32% from 2021, but well below falling short of its 183% growth between 2020 and 2021. The report, based on qualitative data from 1,000 industry consultants and sentiment analysis Published sources have shown a decline in brand strength, particularly in terms of “trust, distinctiveness and understanding of their customers’ needs.” »
“I think [Musk’s] the core is quickly moving away from it, and people are just starting to say: “I don’t like the smell of Tesla; I don’t want to be associated with that,” says Daniel Binns, director of global growth at Interbrand.
Among them are formerly loyal customers. Alan Saldich, a semi-retired technology marketing executive who lives in Idaho, posted a deposit on a Model S in 2011, before the cars were even on the road, after seeing a bodyless chassis in a car room. Menlo Park exhibition. His car, delivered in 2012, was number 2799, one of the first 3,000 made.
He benefited from the company’s good, if idiosyncratic, customer service. When, on Christmas morning 2012, the car wouldn’t start, he emailed Musk directly to ask for a solution. Musk responded just 24 minutes later: “…We’ll see if we can remotely diagnose and repair.” Sorry about that. I hope you have a good Christmas.
On New Year’s Day, Joost de Vries, then vice president of global service at Tesla, and an assistant showed up at Saldich’s house with a trailer, loaded the car onto a flatbed and transported it to the factory Tesla from Fremont, California for repairs. Saldich and his family were even able to tour the factory later. But he has since cooled towards the company. In 2019, he sold his Model S, and now drives an Electric Mini. He’s particularly angered, he says, by Musk’s verbal attacks on government programs and regulations, especially since Tesla has benefited from state and federal tax credits for electric vehicles.
“Personally, I probably wouldn’t buy another Tesla,” he says. “A, because there are so many alternatives and B, I just don’t like [Musk] more.”
CORRECTION 01/24/23 11:15 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to reflect that Alex Lagetko reduced his stake in Tesla in early 2022.
