Malaysians on social media are urging others to boycott electric vehicle company Tesla due to its CEO Elon Musk’s controversial political views.
On Facebook, a Feb 18 post about a new Tesla model release in Malaysia was met with negative reactions among users with some leaving comments calling the vehicle a "Swasticar".
Musk faced backlash when he was accused of publicly performing a Nazi salute during a Trump rally in the US.
In a post on X, Musk responded to the issue by saying his critics need "better dirty tricks", adding "The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired".
Other netizens also called for a boycott of the company due to Musk's ties to and support of US President Donald Trump, to whom he acts as a senior advisor.
One commenter likened buying a Tesla to supporting Musk and Trump, to which he added “Hard pass”.
Website advertising + marketing cited figures from media intelligence firm Dataxet Nama that overall sentiments on Tesla in Malaysia is "predominantly negative" at 85%, followed by 10% positive and 5% neutral.
Tesla has also faced calls for boycotts in other countries including Poland where a government ministry said "no normal Poles should buy a Tesla anymore" after Musk made an appearance at a far-right political rally in Germany.
On its home turf, the EV maker is also contending with a burgeoning ‘Tesla Takedown’ movement, with supporters mobilising for street protests and urging fellow Americans to sell their Tesla cars and Tesla stock – all in an attempt to dent the company’s share price and hopefully hit Musk in his wallet.
Financial Post reported that a Tesla fan club in Canada plans to distribute bumper stickers so owners can distance themselves from Musk.
Tesla entered the Malaysian market in 2023 with vehicles now starting from RM181,000.
