Everyone hates Tesla except people who already own one

How can the most divisive brand in the auto sector unload its surplus of 47K cars?

6/11/24 12:58PM

An abundance of bad news in 2024 hasn’t helped Tesla's brand perception among the general public. In fact, it seems the only Americans who have a positive view of Tesla are those who own one, YouGov data shows.

So far this year, Tesla has produced 47,000 more cars than it sold, causing the surplus to pile up in parking lots across the globe. First-quarter sales slid 9% from a year earlier, reflecting both the decline in deliveries and slashed prices, as the company contends with increased competition and slowing sales growth for electric vehicles generally. Its net income declined 55%, and its market cap — once over a trillion dollars — has fallen by more than half.

The company has also faced a number of high-profile recalls this year, including for its widely mocked Cybertruck. Meanwhile, CEO Elon Musk has been ingratiating himself with right-wing leaders and spreading misinformation on his social network, where climate skepticism and hostility proliferate. He’s also been dividing his attention and resources among his five other companies — all while urging shareholders to vote for his record pay package, which a judge already voided in January.

All the above has likely contributed to the overall negative public sentiment about the Tesla brand, as shown by data provided by YouGov, which hosts long-running surveys of how Americans feel about brands regarding everything from their value to reputation. Positive numbers on YouGov’s index demonstrate a majority-positive view, while negative numbers show a majority-negative view. Tesla had a net-positive score until 2022, around the time Musk took over Twitter.

Still, that sentiment hasn’t seemed to have affected people who own Teslas. Their opinion of the company has remained high and even gotten more positive in recent years.

Of course, people generally have a more positive view of the thing they own. After all, they went ahead and spent tens of thousands of dollars on a car, so they obviously liked something about it. The thing is, there’s a much bigger gulf between public sentiment for the Tesla brand and its customers’ opinions than with other car manufacturers.

Tesla owners seem to like their cars about as much as owners of other brands do, but everyone else seems to hate them. Americans generally feel more neutral or positive toward other car companies.

While public sentiment hasn’t appeared to sway those who already own Teslas, it could become a problem trying to get new people to buy them. That’s bad news for a car company already struggling with its sales.

Tom Jones

hut’s off

6/1/26

Yum! Brands might have found a potential buyer for Pizza Hut

Yum! is in exclusive talks with private equity firm LongRange Capital about a sale, per reports.

Hyunsoo Rim

hot dogs & half tanks

6/1/26

Costco’s gas stations are breaking records as drivers seek cheaper fuel

Higher prices have pushed many members to the retailer’s pumps for the first time.

Max Knoblauch5/29/26

The Trump administration is reportedly planning a 50% made-in-America requirement for USMCA tariff relief

Qualifying for USMCA-related lower tariffs may soon require more US-made vehicle components, according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal.

The Trump administration is reportedly planning to introduce a 50% US content requirement for vehicles covered by the trade pact to receive lower tariffs. The content would be measured by cost, according to the WSJ.

There currently isn’t any US-specific requirement for those lower tariff rates, but in order to receive preferential tariffs, vehicles are must contain at least 75% regional content (components made in North America). Per Reuters reporting, the Trump admin is seeking to raise the regional requirement to 82%.

These reported plans are subject to change as the US negotiates USMCA terms with Mexico over the next few months.

Overall, Tesla will likely have the easiest time qualifying for any stricter requirements. The automaker’s vehicles contained the highest amount of US/Canadian content in 2025, according to American University research. Ford, GM, and Stellantis all scored lower.

Notably: the underlying government data that many domestic content measurements rely on intentionally combines US and Canadian components, so it’s difficult to know exactly how much of any given vehicle is specifically US-made.

Exclusive | Trump Administration Wants Autos Under USMCA to Be at Least 50% Made in America

These reported plans are subject to change as the US negotiates USMCA terms with Mexico over the next few months.

Tom Jones5/29/26

The $640,000 Luce makes the average Ferrari look like a bargain

Put aside the shape; put aside the smoothing out of Ferrari’s iconic sharp edges; put aside, even, the calls from former Chairman and President Luca Cordero di Montezemolo to “take the Prancing Horse off.” On the grounds of price alone, Luce detractors might have a point.

By now, many of us will have read the criticisms of Ferrari’s first fully electric vehicle, as the Luce — which was unveiled to the world earlier this week and promptly saw the company’s shares crash out in New York and Milan — gets subtly shaded by competitors online and not-so-subtly shaded by basically everyone else.

What makes all of this worse for Ferrari is that, even by the luxury car maker’s notoriously high standards, they’ve slapped a pretty hefty price tag on the Luce, and the company’s CEO, Benedetto Vigna, has already been forced to defend the €550,000 ($640,000) price point, saying yesterday that it’s “fair to pay for innovation,” per Reuters.

While Ferrari’s cars have been getting more expensive of late, as recently as 2022, Ferrari’s average revenue per car sold was around $340,000. At nearly twice that price, this new electric model is obviously proving a little much (visually, conceptually, and financially) for many loyal and long-standing fans of the Prancing Horse to stomach.