Tired of Elon Musk's antics, Tesla owners are ditching their cars: Report

Tesla owners are giving up their cars following Elon Musk's increasingly erratic behaviour.

Elon Musk has been known for being outspoken, but after he began to turn into an increasingly erratic and polarizing figure online, especially following his acquisition of Twitter, the Tesla CEO has begun to lose customers. According to reports, many Tesla owners are rethinking their allegiance to the brand because of Musk.

Tesla fanboy, Bob Perkowitz was among the first people to reserve a Model S way in 2009. He received the car in 2012, upgraded to a 2017 edition of the same sedan and was planning to buy a 2022 model before Musk mired himself in controversies, Business Insider reported.

Perkowitz told the publication that he hasn't bought a new Tesla because of Elon Musk's tumultuous Twitter acquisition, his right-wing views, and his emphasis on free speech. Perkowitz believes the last will encourage misinformation on Twitter.

"Elon was a really good reason to buy the car," he told Insider. "He had a great brand. He is not such a great brand anymore."

Another Tesla customer Alan Lasoff, of California, has a Model Y SUV on lease, but said he won't be getting another when his term expires. The reason -- what he sees as the billionaire's hypocrisy.

"He told everybody he's buying Twitter because he wants it to be sort of apolitical, and on the eve of the election he says you should vote for Republicans," Lasoff told Insider. "He can have his opinion, but the thing I really despise in people is hypocrisy."

Tesla owner John Byrne, a software CEO, was so fed up with Musk's antics since the Twitter saga that he traded his car for a Audi in late 2022. He told that the final straw was when the Tesla CEO began to broadcast his right-wing views. "I don't want to be a brand ambassador for them anymore," Byrne told Insider.

Read more: Tesla owners in China protest against surprise price cuts they missed

While Tesla denied commenting on the report, experts said that consumers are more likely to react poorly to a car company being controversial than another type of business. Brand expert Matthew Quint told Insider that for consumers, a car is a long-term purchase and it represents its owner to the outside world wherever they go.

Meanwhile, 2022 appeared to be Tesla stock's worst year ever with prices have fallen by about 65 per cent.

The company is also facing mounting challenges, including rising costs, competitive threats, and the risk that a recession will slow demand, Bloomberg reported. The speculation that Musk may sell more Tesla shares to keep Twitter afloat too has been of concern to Tesla enthusiasts.

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