There’s a growing movement of Tesla owners who are finding ways to rebadge, hide, or otherwise distance themselves from the Tesla brand. Some owners are outright selling their Teslas, while others explore options like wraps, removing badges, replacing badges, or other modifications. Let’s take a look at why this is happening.
Perceived Social Stigma
Ever since Elon Musk aligned himself with President Donald Trump, there has been a backlash from certain segments of society, including those who own Teslas. The association with Trump isn’t the only reason, however. Elon Musk has also made many controversial statements and decisions that have alienated him from Tesla fans.
There has also been a growing number of vandalism cases from criminal elements aimed directly at Tesla vehicles. Some owners are hiding or rebadging their cars simply to avoid becoming a victim. In some cases, they’ve decided to sell their Tesla to reduce the risk of being vandalized. These buyers are most likely to buy another electric vehicle.
It’s safe to assume that many early adopters of Tesla vehicles were those who wanted to move toward electric power vs. combustion. The majority of these people lean toward the left of the political spectrum. However, thanks to Musk’s recent change of political views, these owners find themselves in a social stigma by having a Tesla.
Not Exactly a New Trend
Despite the reasons stated above, rebadging Teslas isn’t exactly new and doesn’t always have anything to do with Elon Musk. In fact, modifying Teslas with wraps or logos from other automakers has been going on for a while. At one point, it was even an in-joke with Tesla owners to hide their cars under wraps or different logos.
Another reason for modifying Teslas is simple creative expression. Tesla vehicles come in a pretty standard and boring array of colors. The most stark example is the Cyber Truck, which only comes in a stainless steel look. Using wraps helps make the Tesla stand out and look different from the rest.
Changing the Tesla logo appears to largely be an attempt to avoid vandalism, however. Multiple Reddit threads show owners changing their cars’ logos to various other automakers, including Mazda, Honda, and Audi, in hopes of avoiding vandalism.
Brand Trust Problems
Tesla has also gone through a shift in consumer trust. Even in Australia, Tesla was ranked as one of the least trustworthy car brands back in 2023. However, the brand trust problems are still more likely to involve Elon Musk rather than something to do with the actual vehicles. In other words, increasing negative perceptions of Elon Musk are largely driving distrust of the Tesla brand.
Thanks to the issues mentioned above and problems with Musk, the Tesla brand has seen a sharp decline in sales over the last year or so. Those who decide to hang onto their Teslas have tried to distance themselves from Musk by using anti-Musk bumper stickers, while others who may or may not have a problem with Musk are simply finding ways to disguise their Teslas and avoid vandalism.
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