A group of Tesla owners in France is suing Elon Musk‘s car company, alleging its vehicles have become “far-right totems” that are harming their reputation, according to the law firm representing the group.
The group is seeking to terminate their lease contracts and recover legal costs at the Paris Commercial Court, citing the “direct and concrete” harm caused by Musk’s public behaviour after he rallied in support of Donald Trump‘s presidential bid and Germany’s far-right AfD party.
The lawsuit comes amid plummeting Tesla sales in key European markets, including France, Britain, Germany, and Italy, partly in protest of Musk’s political activities and as customers favour Chinese electric vehicles due to their competitive prices.
“Tesla vehicles have become powerful political symbols and are now perceived as true far-right ‘totems,’ much to the dismay of those who purchased them solely as innovative and eco-friendly vehicles”, the plaintiffs’ lawyers Patrick Klugman and Ivan Terel, at law firm GKA said.
Tesla Europe did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
GKA said about 10 Tesla leaseholders had joined the lawsuit.
Musk helped bankroll Trump’s presidential campaign and spearheaded Trump’s efforts to cut federal jobs and slash what the administration perceived as wasteful public spending.
Musk’s involvement in the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) saw him become a political lightning rod, fueling protests and vandalism at Tesla showrooms in the United States and Europe.
The GKA statement referred to a hand gesture by the billionaire during Trump’s inauguration celebrations that drew online comparisons to a Nazi salute as an example of his harmful behaviour. Musk dismissed the criticism of the gesture as a “tired” attack.
Musk said on Wednesday he regretted some of the remarks he made on the social media platform X, which he owns, during an acrimonious and very public falling out with Trump last week.
“I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far,” the world’s richest man wrote.
On the same day that Musk appeared to extend an olive branch, Trump said in a pre-recorded podcast interview that reconciliation between the pair was possible.
“Look, I have no hard feelings,” Trump said in the interview recorded on Monday. “I was really surprised that that happened. He went after a bill that’s phenomenal. …He just — I think he feels very badly that he said that, actually.”