Hundreds of Tesla owners have hatched ‘plans’ out of ’embarrassment’ as the company’s CEO has been accused of making a ‘Nazi salute’ during Donald Trump’s inauguration rally.
Elon Musk is at the center of controversy after the billionaire tech mogul appeared to make a bizarre gesture during the president’s inauguration ceremony yesterday (January 20).
The SpaceX founder and Twitter owner was accused of doing a ‘Nazi salute’ while onstage at the Capitol One Arena, Washington.
The 53-year-old appeared to be excited by the idea of sending an American to Mars, during which he thumped his chest with his fist and shot his arm at a certain angle.
He commented: “Thank you for making it happen. Thank you, my heart goes out to you,” before turning back to the audience and repeating the move towards the American flag.
Dozens of viewers flooded social media with their thoughts on the matter, accusing Musk of making a ‘Sieg Heil’ as clear as day’ – and not only once, but twice.
Musk himself has addressed the comments on his Twitter account while the Anti-Defamation League claimed it was an ‘awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm’ as opposed to a ‘Nazi salute’.
However, it seems some of Musk’s customers have been left uncomfortable by the slip up.
Over on Reddit, thousands of Tesla owners have been debating how they feel about their vehicles after the incident, with the question posed by the OP: “Are you going to do anything about it?”
Some claimed the move had completely turned them off from ever investing in a Tesla, while several resigned to trying to flog them out of ’embarrassment’ to be seen driving them and said they never would have forked out had Musk pulled such a stunt before.
Others said they feel ‘stuck’ with their vehicle for now but vowed never to purchase another Tesla.
One user replied: “I’m stuck with my car for now but I won’t be buying another Tesla.”
Another added: “I don’t have the financial freedom to take a huge loss selling my vehicle. Instead, I simply won’t give Tesla any more money going forward, and my next vehicle upgrade will probably come sooner than it may have otherwise.”
While a third claimed: “I’m 100 percent buying an EV and 100 percent not a Tesla in the next 12 months before of Elon only… Would have probably bought a Tesla otherwise.”
The comments come as already Tesla’s brand value took a whopping $15,000,000,000 hit due to issues with the Cybertruck build and millions being recalled.
But Brand Finance CEO David Haigh also suggested Musk’s actions have played a part, too.
He said: “If you are buying electric vehicles, his persona is highly likely to impact your view of whether or not you want to buy one of his company’s cars, but that’s only one of many factors.”
UNILAD has contacted Tesla for comment.
