Elon Musk's political positioning might have boosted his appeal among conservatives, but this probably isn’t sufficient to recover the sales he has lost from other groups.
- 35% of the conservatives who were polled report that their view of Tesla has become more positive over the last half-year.
- Only 17%, though, of conservatives would think about purchasing an electric vehicle.
- 53% of liberals and 31% of those who describe themselves as "middle-of-the-road," according to the survey, are now less inclined to think about buying a Tesla for their upcoming purchase.
A week has passed since Elon Musk and President Donald Trump's promotional event for Tesla on the White House lawn. Following Tesla’s stock plummeting by 15 percent in just one day—an unprecedented downturn for the company in many years—Trump expressed his admiration for Tesla without reservation. even though he previously launched harsh critiques against electric vehicles Will his newly discovered enthusiasm for Teslas and Musk's efforts to dismantle the federal government create more opportunities for electric vehicles among potential buyers? who have traditionally shown little interest in them?
Sure, not exactly. The information comes from a market research company. Escalent indicates that despite maneuvers such as Musk's appearance at the White House or his divisive political statements and actions having enhanced Tesla's image among conservative audiences, these efforts ultimately result in an overarching negative impact on the brand's reputation.
From February 15th through February 28th, Escalent polled 897 motorists owning vehicles from the 2020 model year onwards, with intentions to purchase a fresh automobile within half a decade. Among these participants, nearly four out of ten identified as politically conservative , while 37% of those said they were “middle-of-the-road” political centrists. Only 24% said they were liberal.
Yet, of those liberals surveyed, 36% of them would consider buying an EV. About 13% of them already were EV owners. "Middle-of-the-road" car owners also came in strong, with 26% of them considering an EV, and 14% actually ended up being EV owners.
Those numbers dropped to 17% and 7% for conservatives, though.
When the three groups were questioned about how their views on Tesla had shifted over the last half-year, liberals showed significantly greater negativity, with 53% reporting they now view Tesla less favorably. In contrast, 35% of conservatives said their perception of Tesla was more positive.
The same proportion of liberals were unlikely to think about buying a Tesla as their next car, whereas 31% of conservatives expressed willingness to do so. It might be that Musk’s association with DOGE aligns more closely with conservative values, particularly regarding the concept of “efficiency.”
However, this will not be enough to rescue Tesla, asserts KC Boyce, the Vice President at Escalen. He stated, "Liberals and centrist voters make up the bulk of the consumer base overall, particularly within the electric vehicle sector. Although centrists are somewhat more open to Tesla compared to liberals, these voter segments are still less inclined to purchase a Tesla when looking ahead to their next car."
Certainly, conservatives might be more inclined to purchase a Tesla electric vehicle, yet the modest boost in sales from appealing to conservative customers wouldn't compensate for the significant loss of business from the large number of liberal (as well as centrist) buyers who initially supported these vehicles.
It's evident that Tesla is experiencing a downturn. After briefly recovering following Trump and Musk's White House event promoting Tesla sales, the respite was short-lived. The stock price, which is the main component of Musk's wealth, has resumed its decline.
It appears that the brand is moving forward at full speed without acknowledging much else or responding primarily through unusual influencer campaigns. Kim Kardashian shared again her photoshoot images featuring herself. the Cybertruck , Tesla Cybercab and the prototype Optimus robot for Perfect Magazine, a move that attracted the ire of even the most car-uninformed pop-culture followers. The brand has become extremely harmful for many average individuals, And it's difficult to discern its route back from there.
If all goes well, electric vehicles might lose their political baggage over time since they're simply a different type of tech. Nevertheless, at present, the head honcho of the top EV company in America could potentially be exacerbating this issue rather than alleviating it.
Contact the author: Kevin.Williams@InsideEVs.com
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