The article states that T-Online, a German news outlet, polled 100,000 readers, with 94% rejecting Tesla and only 3% considering a purchase. While the sample size is unusually large for a survey, the methodology isn’t detailed in the article. Online reader polls, like those often conducted by news sites, are typically self-selecting—participants choose to respond rather than being randomly sampled. This introduces significant bias, as those motivated to participate may already hold strong opinions, especially given Musk’s polarizing public image. Without information on how the survey was conducted (e.g., random sampling, controls for bias), its scientific validity is questionable.
Sales number are not good in germany either, but I know Elon fans have an excuse for this too. Anyway is clear that even if this numbers are not correct Tesla's image is fcked, now buying a Tesla is giving money to a nazi and an enemy (on top of the other Elon's "qualities")
If you look at the data for 2023 you can also see that Tesla sold about the same number of any of their model as VW did for the ID series (both ~60k). That seems to have stayed flat for VW in 2024 according to the table from ADAC, but Tesla overall sales dropped significantly to ~30k. If you extrapolate the February numbers they are on track to halve sales again this year, while VW is on track to sell 30k more cars than they did last year (I know extrapolation is not going to be super accurate here)
I know in EU Tesla sales are down compared to previous year while EV sales are up. We do not know for sure how much of this is Elon's comments and support of fascists and how much is other cars getting better, but if we wait more data will be available.
Than arguable sieg heil? Actively arguing for the extermination of Jews would be a good sign. Maybe display a swastika? An admission: "Yes, it was a sieg heil because I am a Nazi."
Less than that, maybe casually drop terms like “Lügenpresse” when complaining about the media or refer to certain people or ideas as “degenerate”. He might talk about how “not everything the Nazis did was bad” or suggest that history has been unfairly written by the victors. Maybe he doesn’t outright deny the Holocaust, but he hints that the numbers don’t quite add up or that there’s more to the story than we’re told. He might admire the “efficiency” of Nazi Germany, talk about how it was more “orderly” than today’s world, or claim that political correctness has made people too afraid to acknowledge certain “truths” but somehow it always leads back to Jews, Zionists or Globalists. When the topic of race comes up, he leans into the idea that societies function best when people “stick to their own kind.” He might rant about “globalists” or “international bankers” in a way that sounds suspiciously like old anti-Semitic tropes but insist he’s just talking about economics. And if you push back or ask him to clarify, he doesn’t outright disavow anything, he just gets defensive, acts like he’s being unfairly attacked, and insists that the real problem is people being too quick to call others Nazis.
if you need more to believe he is a nazi, that is ok. Most of us have seen enough to get to that conclusion.
edit: sorry, it took me some time to catch that you are being sarcastic. Your description of why he is a fascist was one of the most accurate I've seen.
No, I was not being sarcastic. Yes, I need more than an awkward gesture that resembles a sieg heil to believe someone is a Nazi - even if I do not like them or find them reprehensible.
Because it wasn't an honest question. You have access to the same data sources as those who claim that Musk is at best Nazi-adjacent or Nazi-sympathetic. You have access to the same video (note video) of the salutes (note plural), access to the same news stories about Musk's support for far-right causes and organizations, and access to the same tweets in which Musk advocates policies, attitudes, and behaviors indistinguishable from those associated with 20th-century fascism.
Obviously you disagree, but instead of saying as much, ideally using the same data sources to refute your opponents' arguments, you engaged in low-effort sealioning. Hence the flag.
The guidelines are to assume good faith. My comments are wide open for you to peruse: nowhere and never have I "sea lioned" or been dishonest.
"Musk advocates policies, attitudes, and behaviors indistinguishable from those associated with 20th-century fascism."
I apparently do not have access to the same data sources as those who claim that Musk is at best Nazi-adjacent or Nazi-sympathetic.
Has he ever casually thrown around terms like “Lügenpresse” when talking about the media or described certain ideas or people as “degenerate” in a way that feels a little too historical? Has he talked about how “not everything the Nazis did was bad” or suggested that history might have been unfairly written by the victors? Maybe he hasn’t outright denied the Holocaust, but he’s hinted that the numbers seem questionable or that there’s more to the story than what’s commonly taught. Has he praised the “efficiency” of Nazi Germany, talked about how it was more “orderly” than today’s chaotic world, or suggested that political correctness has made it impossible to discuss certain “truths” about who really holds power? When race comes up, does he lean into the idea that societies just work better when people “stick to their own kind”? Does he complain about “globalists” or “international bankers” in a way that sounds eerily familiar, but insists it’s just about economics? And if you challenge him, does he actually reject any of this, or does he just get defensive, insisting the real issue is people being too quick to throw around words like "Nazi"?
Because, if so, then yes, he's a Nazi. Has he done this? If not, maybe we should reserve the term for people who do.
Nazis claim that the Holocaust did not happen or if it did it was justified. Is that what Musk did here? It's a reprehensible thing to say, that the Holocaust was perpetrated by "public sector workers", but...
> Yes. Musk has been making excuses for Hitler
... whatever it was, is not compatible with National Socialism. But you already knew that.
The article does not claim scientific standards, and in reality, it is probably not exactly 94%. However, it is likely a very significant amount.
Considering that Germany has never been the easiest market for Tesla, there are many reasons for this trend. Germans like their local manufacturers. It is probably not surprising—and not far from reality—that the majority of people would not consider buying a Tesla at this time.
Well, besides all other concerns regarding Tesla or electric cars in general, Germany has really HIGH prices for electricity.
That may be included with the purchase, depending on the time and/or model,
but then you are dependent on the supercharger network of theirs,
which hasn't really convenient coverage.
Or you're doing it on your own at home with solar, heat-pump, wallcharger, whatever.
Which isn't an option for many, because Germany also is a nation of RENTERS,
meaning not owning a house, and thus being dependent on the whims of landlords.
Which aren't that enthusiastic about investments in general.
Complications, complications...
Now imagine living there in some large city which has everything, maybe even owning your condo, but not the whole building.
No solar, no wallchargers, and even if, they'd charge insane prices for the charging :)
So search for superchargers it is.
Such luck, there's a shopping mall even in walking distance with a few superchargers.
Phew!
Accessible only through the parking space.
Which is gated by turnpikes.
Which close at 8PM and open at 8 or 9AM (because being german)...
Forget sundays...
Actually I don't even own a car in .de and only know of this because some danish tourists asked me about superchargers for their Tesla on my way home from that shopping mall.
And couldn't believe it, neither could I.
They'd needed to cross the whole town to near the airport, while their Tesla was very low on charge,
which they wasted even more so because of circling around trying to find access past the gates...
Now this happened in Germanys second largest town, and still is the case.
Imagine how this is elsewhere, less dense, but where that rentage thing still applies for many...
Living in the US it still doesn't make sense to me, maybe because somewhere way out there at 2600m altitude near some resort town in the rockies.
I don't really care about the money for solar installation there, but it's impractical because of winds, and snow.
I see this as a phenomenon of the zeitgeist, enjoying gamified crap and virtue signaling, while the infrastructure isn't really there ATM.
So gas it is. Not necessarily guzzling. Just more convenient and practical.
Yeah, if you just phone random people they'll probably say Tesla is bad. It's different to a while later when the news has faded and they are actually buying a car and comparing options.
It's also misleading to frame responses of "aren't considering buying a Tesla" as "won't buy a Tesla", because most of those respondents aren't considering buying any vehicle at all.
They did... by voting... and are mostly happy with the new trajectory. Perhaps your perception is being manipulated into thinking there's something wrong with this new direction.
The irony of you posting this from X, that has been transformed in the last few months on a Right Wing platform, where Trump opposing views, have been shadow banned is funny. Shadow banned by the new Russian style Oligarch of the US.
It's not about free speech, that is safe and sound in the EU.
It's about avoid that the US monopolies on Social Media don't decide what messages get propagated, while others get shadow banned at the whim of their CEO/Co-President of the USA....
