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Elon Musk dismissed a serious question from investors about his negative impact on Tesla’s reputation following his political comments and Twitter acquisition.

He not only dismissed the question, but he gave a douchey answer bragging about his number of followers.

During Tesla’s Q4 2022 conference call following the release of its financial results, Musk was asked a question about his impact on Tesla’s reputation:

Since Elon started political influencing, polls from Morning Consult & YouGov show Tesla brand favorability declining in 2022 and division along partisan lines. Such brand damage can impact demand. Does Tesla track favorability and how will any brand damage be mitigated?

The question is a serious one that was requested by over 3,000 Tesla retail investors. Musk decided to dismiss the question with a response that can be best described as “douchey.”

He started out by literally bragging about how many people are following him on Twitter as if this is any indicator of his impact on Tesla’s reputation:

Let me check my Twitter account (pause as he appears to actually pull out his phone). So I got 127 million followers and it continues to grow rapidly. That suggests that I’m reasonably popular. Now I might not be popular with some people, but for the vast majority of people, my follower count speaks for itself. I have the most interacted social account maybe in the world – certainly on Twitter.

The CEO only mentioned Tesla in his response for a second by making the claim that he “believes Twitter is an incredible to create demand for Tesla”. He never actually addressed the actual question, which was about his political comments affecting Tesla. The question never actually mentioned Twitter.

The Tesla CEO continued by coming just a hair short of trying to sell Twitter ads to other companies and asking them to use Twitter more. Again, that’s during a Tesla earnings call, talking to Tesla shareholders who just took a massive hit from Musk selling Tesla shares to buy the social media platform.

Electrek’s Take

This is a ridiculous answer and I lost respect for Musk because of it.

First off, who the hell brags about their number of followers on Twitter? Is he a teenager?

But more importantly, he basically dismissed the question, which points to him completely missing the point. A point that is obvious to most people.

That point is that regardless of your political inclinations, most people can understand that the CEO and main only spokesperson for a company openly and actively taking a side in American politics, which are highly polarizing, is plain bad for business since you alienate a large part of the population.

Musk’s comments about democrats, especially saying things like the democratic party is “the party of hate”, is undoubtedly bad for business.

Instead of recognizing that as a marketing faux pas (at best) and adjusting to reduce the negative impact on Tesla’s important mission to accelerate the advent of sustainable energy, he decides to say “look at my Twitter follower count”.

That’s so dumb. Yeah, you have a lot of people following you on Twitter. That’s just more people to piss off with your careless statements.

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A dozen Tesla cars burned at store, arson is suspected amid global protests

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A dozen Tesla cars burned at store, arson is suspected amid global protests

A dozen Tesla vehicles burned at a store in Toulouse, France. Arson is suspected amid global protests and vandalism attacks against Tesla and Elon Musk.

Last night, a dozen Tesla vehicles burned down at Tesla’s retail and service location in Plaisance-du-Touch near Toulouse, France.

Firefighters arrived on the scene at around 4 a.m. and contained the fire to the vehicles. Eight of them were completely destroyed, and four were greatly damaged. The damages are estimated at over 700,000 euros.

According to the local news (translated from French), the police suspected arson as a hole was found in a fence, and threats had been made over the last few weeks. The Tesla location remained closed all day.

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Tesla is currently being protested by anti-fascist groups around the world, especially in the US, where many are targeting Tesla to protest against Elon Musk’s involvement in the US government.

In France, there were a few protests planned, but some extremist groups are calling for widespread arson against Tesla stores:

I won’t share the link to the article since it gives step-by-step instructions on how to burn down Tesla stores without getting caught, but the manifesto explains that they are going after Tesla as a “symbol of capitalism,” although they also list a dozen other reasons including the fact that they think it’s “doable and cheap.”

Electrek’s Take

This is getting nuts. It’s not only dangerous, but it’s also not super effective in achieving the goal they claim to want to achieve.

Have they never heard of insurance? Tesla is having issues selling cars right now. You are burning unsold inventory that they can then claim to their insurance.

Sure, it disrupts their operations for a short period of time, but it’s not worth it.

Their manifesto does say to avoid violence and not to target vehicles owned by individuals – though it doesn’t sound like a strict rule for them, but I think these people are likely going to end up in jail for having achieved nothing.

The protests and boycotts are going strong. You don’t need to burn cars to make yourself heard.

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Ford F-150 Lightning sales have been falling for months: What’s going on with the EV pickup?

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Ford F-150 Lightning sales have been falling for months: What's going on with the EV pickup?

Is Ford’s electric pickup in trouble? Sales have been down for months, and February showed no relief. What’s going on with the Ford F-150 Lightning?

Ford F-150 Lightning sales drop again in February 2025

Ford’s US sales dropped by 9% last month. Although electrified vehicles, including EVs and hybrids, both notched double-digit growth, sales of Ford’s gas-powered (ICE) models, which accounted for over 85% of deliveries, fell nearly 13%.

Hybrids saw higher demand with sales up 27.5% to 15,357, while EV sales increased 15% to 7,326. The Mustang Mach-E was a bright spot with 3,312 models sold in February, up 13% from the prior year.

With 6,841 Mach-Es sold through the first three months of 2025, Ford’s electric crossover SUV remains a top-selling EV in the US.

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Ford’s electric pickup didn’t fare as well. F-150 Lightning Sales were down nearly 15% last month with only 2,199 units sold. Through March, Ford has sold 15% fewer Lightning models than it did at this time last year.

Ford-Lightning-sales
2024 Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum Black (Source: Ford)

Sales of the electric pickup have been slipping for months now. In the final three months of 2024, F-150 Lightning sales were down 10%.

The Lightning, alongside Rivian’s R1T, are no longer the only electric pickups on the market. Ford is facing new competition with the Tesla Cybertruck, Chevy Silverado EV, and GMC Sierra EV, arriving.

Ford-Lightning-sales
2024 Ford F-150 Lightning Flash (Source: Ford)

According to Cox Automotive, the Tesla Cybertruck slipped past the Lightning to become the fifth best-selling EV in the US last year with nearly 39,000 units sold. Ford’s Lightning was sixth with just over 33,500 models sold.

Ford extended its “Power Promise” promo earlier this year to boost demand, giving EV buyers a Level 2 home charger and other benefits, but Lightning sales are still down.

Ford-lightning-sales
Ford Mustang Mach-E (left) and F-150 Lightning (right) (Source: Ford)

The American automaker cut Lightning production at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center last year, citing slower-than-expected demand. A new report from Automotive News claims Ford is now ending a pilot program to stock and distribute EVs through regional hubs after it failed to catch on. It was designed to speed up deliveries.

Although Ford plans to launch a smaller midsize electric pickup, it won’t arrive until at least two more years. With new competition, like the Ram 1500 REV and Volkswagen Scout pickup, hitting the market over the next few years, Ford may find it even harder to attract buyers.

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Costco members can get up to $10,000 off the 2025 Volvo EX90

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Costco members can get up to ,000 off the 2025 Volvo EX90

Costco’s Auto Program recently introduced some new member-only incentives, and the 2025 Volvo EX90 BEV is now on its list.

Volvo is offering Costco Executive Members $2,000 off the 2025 EX90. Costco Gold Star and Business members are eligible for $1,500 off. The incentives are available on all versions of the Volvo EX90 for members who purchase or lease from February 24 to April 30, 2025. It’s the only non-GM EV that’s that’s eligible for an incentive through the EV program.

The offer is compatible with A-Plan pricing for employees, as well as Affinity Pricing for teachers and first responders. Costco members will have had to have been members as of February 23 and be the primary members on the Costco account to qualify.

Volvo-EX90-interior
Volvo EX90 interior (Source: Volvo)

However, CarsDirect gave the heads up on how buyers can get up to $10,000 off the EX90’s MSRP. As we stated, if you’re a Costco Executive Member, that’s $2,000 off. Then, add the $7,500 EV Lease Allowance and a $500 loyalty discount on leases if you currently own or lease a Volvo or have owned or leased a Volvo within the past six months.

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With the destination fee included, the base EX90 MSRP starts at $81,290, so that brings it down to $71,290, a more than 12% discount, a pretty good deal.

The 2025 AWD Volvo EX90, which can seat seven passengers comfortably, has a range of up to 310 miles and is NACS-compatible. It has a 510 hp engine, 110 kWh battery capacity, and can go from 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds.

Click here to find a local dealer that may have the 2025 Volvo EX90 in stock. – trusted affiliate partner

Read more: Review: Volvo EX90 is a smooth AWD 7-seat luxury kid-hauler


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