Survey of 1,000 Americans
Significant Gap in Perceptions of Tesla and Electric Vehicles
Potential Tesla Customers View Electric Vehicles More Positively Than the Company Itself
A recent poll has found that about half of Americans hold a negative perception of electric vehicle maker Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk.
According to CNBC on April 22 (local time), a recent survey of 1,000 Americans showed that more than 47% of respondents had a negative perception of Tesla.
The survey found that only 27% of respondents had a positive view of Tesla, while the remaining 24% were neutral. CNBC noted that this contrasts with General Motors (GM), where only 10% of respondents had a negative perception.
When asked about their perception of CEO Musk, nearly half of respondents viewed him negatively, while 36% had a positive opinion and 16% were neutral.
The difference in perceptions of electric vehicles and Tesla was especially pronounced among Democratic supporters, whose net favorability was +20 for electric vehicles but -74 for Tesla.
CNBC pointed out, "A significant portion of Tesla's potential customers have a much more positive attitude toward electric vehicles than toward the company itself."
In contrast, among Republican supporters, positive perceptions of Tesla were strong, but negative views of electric vehicles were more prevalent, according to CNBC.
Elon Musk, who has emerged as a close confidant of U.S. President Donald Trump and has taken the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is facing growing public backlash against Tesla. Due to negative sentiment toward Musk's political activities, there have been calls to boycott Tesla in some regions, including Europe, and as a result, Tesla's first-quarter sales in Germany dropped by more than 60%.
Tesla's first-quarter revenue, announced on this day, was $19.34 billion, significantly below market expectations of $21.11 billion. Adjusted earnings per share were $0.27, also falling short of the expected $0.39. Although Tesla's stock price had fallen nearly 40% up to the previous day, it closed up 4.60% on the New York Stock Exchange after the earnings release, despite missing expectations.
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