After climbing a Tesla model last week, President Trump promised to buy one. The next day, the host of Fox News Sean Hannity said he had bought a S Plaid model to support the collapsing company, saying that a Tesla “has more American parts in it than any other car in our country”.
In a reaction to the reaction against the tactic of the Elon Musk government efficiency department, the prominent conservatives are concentrated on the side of the electric car, led by Mr Musk. They hope that they swing for quite a few -fashioned consumers to compensate for a boycott of the electric automotive industry by the Liberals and the Democrats or anyone offended by Mr Musk’s actions.
But how effective can such a rescue mission be? Analysts say it can help, but only to some extent.
So many democratic buyers seem to leave Tesla that even Mr Trump’s best sales race is unlikely to win several new customers to fill the gap, the car expert said. JPMorgan analysts predict that Tesla will deliver its fewer cars in the first trimester than in three years.
“When you make your product unattractive for half of the market, I promise you, you will not increase your sales,” said Alexander Edward, president of the strategic vision, a car research and consulting firm.
Mr Edwards has studied car buyers for decades. Since 2016, surveys have found that electric car owners have been up to four times more likely to be recognized as democratic or liberals to recognize as Republican or preservatives. Among the Tesla owners, the spread was constant two to one.
The gap has been reduced abruptly by 2024. This year, as sales have been reduced, slightly more Tesla buyers recognize as a Republican by Democrats, to 30 % versus 29 %.
“Democrats are leaving the brand and say they will not consider it in the future, so there is of course a greater proportion of Republican and Independent Buyers,” Mr Edwards said.
He said that the Democrats began to lose interest in Tesla when Mr Musk bought twitter, now X, in 2022. Then, last July, when Mr Musk publicly supported Mr Trump, the share of the Democrats who said they would “definitely consider” that a Tesla fell.
Overall, about 8 percent of car owners would definitely consider a Tesla, according to Mr Edwards. This is compared to 22 percent five years ago, when Tesla often exceeded the ranking of the luxurious brands that buyers will consider.
Tesla’s sales, he said, “are mostly, if not completely, to the statements and behavior of Elon Musk.”
The automaker did not respond to a request for comments.
Tesla remains America’s electric vehicle brand, with about 44 % of the market, despite a 5.6 % decline in US sales, about 634,000 cars in 2024, according to Kelley Blue Book. Many drivers are determined to stick with the pioneer of an electric vehicle, whose cars can travel several miles in charge and can easily be refuted on the company’s extensive charging network.
Josh Anders, 44, negotiated a gas station for a Tesla Model 3 model in 2019. Fort Wayne resident, Ind. Soon negotiated for another and is going to pick up the last model y SUV
“Having a Tesla was one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I have stuck with it,” Mr Anders said. “I would like an Rivian R1s, but I can’t afford it. I’m a technical guy and I like all the features and innovations.”
Mr. Anders, the father of four and creative directors of a Christian non -profit music and art organization, said he is leaning conservative and uncomfortable with boycott.
“Elon is not perfect and Tesla is not perfect, but he is a community of dreamers and agents. I appreciate a brand constantly pushing the boundaries,” he said. “I don’t need every company to share my beliefs. I just need them to share a commitment to progress. ”
Still, cars have a long history to become part of the political horror.
Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid introduced in 2011, after General Motors received the help of the federal government, has undergone some conservatives as “Obamacar”. The fuel running from the Toyota Prius and the GM -hit gas were often praised and attacked by people at the opposite edges of the political spectrum.
Isaac Seliger, a business owner and grant writer at Scottsdale, Ariz, said he had little interest in electric vehicles, even though his son, who died recently, was a dedicated Tesla fan.
Now, said Mr Seliger, who has described himself as politically independent, is determined to buy a Tesla because he wants to defy Groupthink and polarization. A friend told him he would stop talking to him if he did.
“As a former left and anti -war press, all this makes me want to buy a tesla more,” said Seliger, 73 years old. “I will completely make a political statement. But if I bought a Porsche Macan, this is a statement also where your people rotate as an annoying older Porsche guide. ”
Mr Seliger added that he found criticism of Mr Musk Overblown.
“So Elon was a hero of the left, and now is Nazi? That is just crazy,” he said. “It hits me as a smart man doing great things.”
For many people who have faith in Tesla and Mr Musk, the price of sales and shares of the company, which is reduced about 48 % from the December high, will eventually recover. Stock increased by 12 % in the last four days of trading.
But some automotive experts say that Tesla can compete because the company has not regularly updated its cars or importing new models. In addition, the company’s chargers, who could once be used by Teslas only, open access to almost every major competitor, said Loren McDonald, head of Paren, electric vehicle billing company. And other automakers offer new electric models, often with very affordable monthly payments.
“It loses the advantages in range, technology, value and ease that led people to Tesla,” Mr McDonald said. “For many people, it’s time to move on and try something new.”
Of course, most buyers do not choose cars based on politics. But the image of a brand matters. Tesla sales fell even as total sales of US electric vehicles increased by 7.3 % in 2024 to 1.3 million. Mr Edwards said Mr Musk made it very easy for people to shop elsewhere.
“People can love Hyundai, GM, Rivian or BMW just as much,” he said.
Republicans are definitely buying electric cars, but fewer of them have dipped in fully electric models. The agricultural states, where Republicans surpass the Democrats, have fewer chargers than more bourgeois states. Strategic vision data shows that Republicans are more likely to work outside the home and are less willing to face difficulties such as large billing attitudes. And a survey by the 2024 Pew Research Center found that more Republicans than Democrats say electric vehicles cost too much and are less reliable than gasoline.
In the New York Metropolitan region, the largest car market of the Nation, the new Tesla registrations decreased by 13 % in 47,000 cars in 2024, according to S&P Global Mobility. In the same year, more than 101,000 people recorded a Tesla in Los Angeles, the second largest market, an 8 %drop. Still, almost one in eight new cars in Los Angeles were Tesla. In the area of the Gulf of San Francisco, where Tesla was founded, almost one in five new cars was a Tesla. However, sales decreased by 17 % to 54,000 cars.
Consumers in the Houston region bought 12,000 Teslas. But bay area residents bought 4.5 times so many Teslas in a smaller market for new cars overall. Some areas have seen large increases, including Miami-Fort Lauderdale, where sales increased by 32 %in about 23,000 cars in 2024. Tesla sales also increased abruptly in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and St. Louis. But the company’s profits in these places could not offset the steepest reductions in larger, more liberal areas of the subway.
Experts say wealthy conservatives such as Mr Hannity and Mr Trump have the disposable income to make a personal car statement by choosing a Tesla. But they may not be able to convince Americans with more moderate means.
Mr McDonald also noted that Mr Trump and other conservatives had spent years abusing electric cars, mocking climate change and criticizing former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
“The messages are inconsistent,” Mr McDonald said. “Is the guy in Arkansas leading a pickup ram that is going to buy a tesla now? How far can you go against your own beliefs to support Elon Musk?”
