Let’s talk about Elon Musk, the man who makes headlines faster than you can say “electric car.” Unfortunately for him—his latest escapades have sent Tesla sales spiraling into uncharted territory. Picture this: a 13% nosedive in deliveries during the first quarter of the year. That’s not just a dip; it’s more like Tesla tripped over its own charging cable and face-planted onto Wall Street.
The numbers? Oh boy. The company delivered 336,681 cars in Q1, which sounds impressive until you realize that’s 50,000 fewer than last year.
It’s Tesla’s worst performance since… well, let’s just call it their “pre-Musk-as-political-lightning-rod era.” Analysts were bracing for bad news, but even they didn’t expect things to get this ugly. Their predictions had Tesla selling around 350,000 cars—so yeah, this is what happens when your CEO becomes everyone’s favorite Twitter flamethrower.
Now, why exactly are people suddenly turning their backs on Tesla? Well, part of it might be the protests happening outside showrooms. Apparently, being associated with Elon Musk isn’t as cool as it used to be. Protesters aren’t just holding signs anymore—they’ve graduated to vandalizing charging stations and slapping stickers on Teslas that read, “Honk if you hate political drama!” Who knew buying an EV could come with so much baggage?
Tesla itself stayed mum about these antics in its official statement, instead blaming a production hiccup caused by updates to the Model Y. Translation: They paused factory lines because someone decided, “Hey, wouldn’t it be great if we gave our SUV a glow-up mid-quarter?” Sure, sure, blame the shiny new features.
Meanwhile, the rest of us are wondering how many customers walked away muttering, “I’ll just take my business to Rivian.”
But wait, there’s more! Remember when Tesla stock soared after the election, fueled by dreams of pro-business policies under Trump 2.0? Yeah, those gains went up in smoke faster than a Cybertruck prototype crashing through a wall.
Shares plummeted 44% from their December peak, leaving investors clutching their portfolios like they’d just watched a horror movie. And speaking of plot twists, rumors swirled that Musk may step back from his formal role in the Trump administration—but stick around as an informal advisor. Because apparently, he doesn’t have enough plates spinning already.
Analysts are calling this whole mess a “brand tornado crisis,” which honestly feels like the understatement of the century. Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities summed it up perfectly: “This quarter was an example of the damage Musk is causing Tesla.” Ouch. Even the guy known for pumping up Tesla couldn’t sugarcoat this one. Looks like Elon’s love-hate relationship with social media has finally caught up with him—and now his cars are paying the price.
Speaking of public opinion, here’s where things get really juicy. A recent CNN poll revealed that only 35% of Americans think positively of Musk, while 53% view him negatively.
To put that into perspective, Vice President JD Vance—a polarizing figure in his own right—is actually more popular. Yikes. Liberals, in particular, seem to be steering clear of Teslas, possibly because owning one now feels like endorsing whatever chaos Musk tweets next.
And don’t even get me started on the polls showing nearly 32% of U.S. buyers saying they wouldn’t touch a Tesla with a ten-foot pole. That number has climbed steadily over the past few years, proving that eco-friendly vehicles aren’t immune to reputation problems.
Meanwhile, S&P Global Mobility reports that loyalty rates among blue-state Tesla owners have dropped significantly, while red-state fans remain slightly more forgiving. So basically, liberals are bailing, and conservatives are shrugging their shoulders like, “Eh, it’s still a car.”
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