In recent weeks, multiple Tesla vehicles have been vandalized across several cities in the United States, leading to concerns about rising tensions related to the company’s leadership. These acts are primarily acts of unhappiness towards the CEO Elon Musk and consist of graffiti, damage to windows and body of the car and arson.
“I am very pleased with the brand Tesla and the vehicle itself. I have been driving a model 3 Tesla for over a year now and have never had any problems.” – John Brabham, Tesla Owner in Georgia
There have been at least 10 instances of Tesla vehicle destruction since the election in January. There have been websites and multiple social media posts suggesting this behavior towards the vehicles. In addition to this, there have also been peaceful protest on the vehicles and their relation to the CEO.
Authorities are currently investigating vandalism incidents and are encouraging owners to report any suspicious activity. They have also asked any community members to share any information that could possibly lead to the identification of the people responsible for the damage to the vehicles.
John Brabham, a Tesla owner in Atlanta, said that he is not worried about damage to his vehicle. “The vehicles have high security and safety and if anyone even comes close to my car the 360º cameras turn on automatically.”
President Donald Trump said he is going to implement harsher prison sentences for people vandalizing the vehicles, such as sentencing up to 20 years in jail for “domestic terrorism.” Trump also purchased a Tesla a few days ago to show support for Musk during the vandalism ordeal.
Mohan Menon, department head of marketing and management at the University of North Georgia, said, “Image is a funny thing; it depends on who you ask. At this point, there are three groups of people in the situation: those who dislike Elon, those who like what he’s doing and those who don’t care. This vandalism will only affect the group that doesn’t like Musk, and the image will affect everyone differently.”
Menon emphasized some marketing tactics going forward for Tesla and some of the steps they can take professionally to improve their current situation.
“The only thing Tesla can do is make sure the cars are not out there in the open,” Menon said. “It would also help to have security on sight at the dealership. Some members of the board at Tesla said to best help future business, they need to take the man away from the machine. But the most important thing in marketing is the product. And if they are making a good product and delivering, the brand will succeed.”
