Elon Musk wants to sell Tesla cars to conservatives, but if that’s the strategy, the automaker should start with having stores and service centers in red states and rural areas.
It’s no secret that Elon Musk’s approval ratings with progressives have been plummeting over the last few years and even more so in the previous few months.
Since he has control over Tesla and he is the only official spokesperson since he let go of the PR department in 2020, the CEO is dragging the automaker along for the ride.
This is a problem for Tesla as Democrats are much more likely to buy electric vehicles than Republicans:
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Tesla’s sales have been crumbling over the last few months, and after the stock crashed 15% last Monday, President Trump held a controversial commercial for Tesla with Musk on the steps of the White House on Tuesday.
It could be that people see through Musk and Trump’s quid pro quo and, therefore, don’t value Trump’s “Tessler” endorsement seriously. Still, there’s also a more practical reason why Trump’s fans and conservatives generally don’t buy more Tesla vehicles: the locations of Tesla’s stores and service centers (hat tip to Ben).
Even if some Trump fans were interested in buying a Tesla after the White House commercial last week, they might have been turned off by the idea of having to drive several hours to a store or service center.
Tesla does not have stores or service centers in Alabama, Arkansas, North and South Dakota, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, or Wyoming.
In some cases, it’s not entirely Tesla’s fault, as some of these states have laws against Tesla’s direct sale models. They force automakers to go through third-party franchise dealerships. This is an abuse of old state laws aimed at protecting dealers against unfair competition from the automakers they represent.
Car dealer lobbies use their influence on state legislatures to use these laws to block Tesla, Rivian, Lucid, and other automakers who never had franchise dealerships from operating their own stores and service centers.
But on top of not having locations in several red states, Tesla also primarily has locations in urban areas, whereas conservatives disproportionally live in rural areas.
The automaker has several dead zones and doesn’t operate locations in smaller cities and towns where there are several Ford, GM, Toyota, and other car dealers:
While it certainly does happen, it’s hard to convince someone to buy a car if they have to drive several hours to pick it up and have it serviced.
Electrek’s Take
In short, it’s not only harder to convince conservatives, on average, to buy an electric vehicle, but Tesla is also not correctly set up to sell and service cars in conservative regions of the US.
Though, I think that’s a small part of the problem.
Cars are not supposed to be political.
Even if Tesla successfully converted a significant percentage of conservatives to electric vehicles, it wouldn’t stop the company’s brand destruction.
Tesla’s reputation amongst Democrats and independents has sharply decreased over the last few years, and especially over the last few months, and that’s thanks to Elon Musk alienating them.
It’s tough to be a successful consumer product company when you have alienated 50% or so of your market.
Tesla is basically becoming the MyPillow of Trump’s second term.
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The World Liberty Financial website arranged on a smartphone in New York, US, on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.
Gabby Jones | Bloomberg | Getty Images
President Donald Trump’s World Liberty Financial crypto project said on Monday that it raised $250 million in its second token sale, bringing the total amount of coins sold to $550 million.
WLFI, a venture backed by the first family that describes itself as a sort of crypto banking platform, launched in October, weeks before Trump’s election victory. In a document published at the time of launch, WLFI said the Trump family could take home 75% of net revenue.
In Monday’s release, WLFI said more than 85,000 participants underwent so-called know-your-customer verification to gain access to the token sale. Co-founder Zach Witkoff, son of billionaire U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, is quoted in the release as saying that “WLFI is on track to supercharge DeFi,” or decentralized finance.
In January, Tron blockchain founder Justin Sun upped his stake in WLFI tokens to $75 million. A court filing the following month showed that Sun and the SEC were exploring a resolution to the regulator’s civil fraud case against the crypto entrepreneur.
WLFI is one of several crypto projects in the Trump family that are kicking off just as the president is pushing a crypto-friendly agenda. Earlier this month, President Trump signed an executive order to establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
According to a memo from the White House last week, David Sacks, the Trump administration’s AI and crypto czar, sold over $200 million worth of digital asset-related investments personally and through his firm, Craft Ventures, before starting the job. Sacks said in a podcast that he “didn’t want to even have the appearance of a conflict.”
At the end of February, the SEC declared that meme tokens are not securities. The announcement came after the president and First Lady Melania Trump launched their own meme coins in the days leading up to the inauguration.
Volkswagen of America announced the initial pricing and trim for the 2025 Volkswagen ID.4 – here’s the lowdown on the latest rebate.
March 17, 2025: The 2025 VW ID.4 is already arriving on dealer lots, and VW is already offering it with a $5,000 Retail Customer Bonus across all 2025 ID.4 trims. However, the rebate is only available when paying cash or financing at a standard rate, which means it can’t be combined with VW’s 72-month 0% APR offer also available for the 2025 ID.4.
CarsDirect crunched the numbers and estimated that over a 72-month term, consumers will save “about $61 per month by choosing the 0% deal over the $5,000, which adds up to almost $4,400 over the course of the term.”
But if you want a better deal on an ID.4, then opt for a 2024 model, because you can stack 0% APR for 72 months with the $5,000 bonus.
February 3, 2025: Volkswagen has restarted production of the ID.4 at its Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant with 82 kWh models rolling off the line. The 62 kWh version will follow later, and all models are set to get additional features starting midyear. Pricing and more details are coming soon.
The 82 kWh ID.4 models stick to a similar trim lineup as 2024. Both the Entry and S trims come in rear-wheel or all-wheel drive, while the top-tier S Plus is exclusively all-wheel drive.
Without further ado, let’s get to it. Here’s the meat-and-potatoes pricing and trim of the 2025 Volkswagen ID.4:
Entry
RWD Pro: starting at $45,095 MSRP
AWD Pro: starting at $48,995 MSRP
Exterior features
19-inch alloy wheels on RWD models
20-inch wheels on AWD models
Gloss black grille
LED head- and taillights
Automatic headlights with rain-sensing wipers
Heated windshield (AWD only)
Heated washer nozzles
Heated mirrors
Black roof rails
3-door KESSY® with proximity unlocking
Tow hitch (AWD only)
Interior features
12.9-inch Discover Pro Max infotainment display with navigation and backlit sliders
Wireless App-Connect (AndroidAuto, CarPlay, and MirrorLink) and charging with compatible devices
45W USB-C charging
Intuitive voice control
5.3-inch ID. Cockpit
Volkswagen Car-Net with Plus Nav and Plus Speech packages included at no additional charge for three years
SiriusXM® with three-month Platinum Plan trial subscription included
Manual cloth and leatherette seats
Heated front seats
Dual-zone Climatronic
10-color ambient lighting ID. Light
Auto-dimming interior mirror
Stitched dashboard
Variable cargo floor cover.
Driver assistance features include standard IQ.DRIVE; plus Park Distance Control; Park Assist (Parking Steering Assistant); Dynamic Road Sign Display; and Light Assist (High Beam Control for headlights).
S
RWD Pro S: starting at $50,195 MSRP
AWD Pro S: starting at $54,095 MSRP
Exterior features
The equipment set from the entry models
20-inch wheels
Illuminated front and rear VW logo and light line in the front fascia
Premium LED projector headlights with Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS)
Poor weather lights
Mirrors with memory function
Interior features
30-color ambient lighting
Perforated leatherette seats
Door-panel stitching
Heated steering wheel
12-way power seats with memory
Ventilated front seats
Rear-seat pass-through
Center armrest with cupholders
Panoramic fixed glass roof with electric sunshade
Power tailgate with Easy Open and Close
S Plus
AWD Pro S Plus: starting at $57,295 MSRP
Exterior features
Features build on the S models
21-inch wheels
Black roof with silver roof accents, C-pillar, and roof rails
Silver accents on front and rear bumpers
Power-folding mirrors with signature lighting
Interior features
Additional features include heated rear seats
Three-zone Climatronic
Harman Kardon premium audio with 14 total speakers including subwoofer
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Is the hatchback finally coming back? Kia’s first electric hatch, the EV4, looks like the one we’ve been waiting for. It almost looks more like a low-riding crossover on the road, but it could be a cheaper option. Check it out for yourself in the video below.
Kia’s first electric hatch is almost here
We finally got our first look at the EV4 during Kia’s 2025 EV Day last month. Four models, two sedans and two hatchbacks, were showcased.
Both will kick off new segments in Kia’s rapidly expanding EV lineup. The EV4 is part of Kia’s new mass-market electric car lineup, with prices starting at $30,000 and even lower in some markets.
After opening orders for the EV4 sedan in Korea last week, the hatchback version is expected to arrive later this year. The EV4 hatch was recently spotted driving on the road for the first time in Korea, giving us our best look at its bigger backside.
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You can immediately see this is not your average Ford Focus or VW Golf. In Kia’s words, the “EV4 introduces a new typology” for sedans and hatchbacks. And that it does.
Kia EV4 hatchback GT-Line (Source: Kia)
The video from ShortsCar shows the EV4 hatch from all angles as it drives by on a public street. It looks about the same as the sedan from the front, but you can’t miss the extended backside.
While the sedan has more of a sports car-like back end, the hatch almost looks like a mini crossover, and not in a bad way.
Kia EV4 hatch spotted on the road in Korea (Source: ShortsCar)
The EV4 sedan starts at about $29,000 (41.92 million won) in Korea. Although the sedan is built at Kia’s Autoland Gwangmyeong EVO Plant in Korea, the hatch will be built in Slovakia, as it’s primarily aimed at Europe.
Kia plans to begin building hatchback models in the second half of the year. The sedan model will also launch in Europe later this year. It will be offered with two battery options, 58.3 kWh or 81.4 kWh, for up to 630 km (391 miles) WLTP range. The hatchback is rated with up to 590 km (366 miles) range by WLTP standards.
For those in the US, don’t worry. Kia confirmed that the EV4 sedan will launch in the US. However, no specific date has been set. When it arrives, it’s expected to be among the most affordable EV options at around $35,000 to $40,000.
The hatchback will start at around 37,000 euros ($40,000) in Europe. Sorry to disappoint anyone, but it’s not expected to arrive in the US.
Would you buy the electric hatch if it was sold in the US? I actually like the look. It reminds me of a smaller, low-riding EV6. Let us know what you think of it in the comments below.
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