Tesla faces boycott as Malaysians link Musk’s support for Trump to Gaza plan

Tesla faces mounting boycott calls in Malaysia in protest against the support its CEO Elon Musk has shown to US President Donald Trump, who has triggered anger over a controversial plan regarding Gaza, which could displace millions of Palestinians. Malaysians pulled no punches on social media in response to Tesla’s launch of its latest Model Y “Juniper” this week, branding it a “swasticar” – a term which emerged in Europe after Musk’s hand gestures during Trump’s inauguration last month, which many perceived as resembling a Nazi salute. “Not touching this swasticar,” read a comment by Adnan Abdullah to a Facebook post by a local car review site regarding Tuesday’s Model Y launch. Musk, the world’s richest man, denied the gesture had any such connotations, saying in a post on X that his critics “need better dirty tricks” and calling comparisons to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler “sooo tired”. But activists in London pasted stickers with the line “Don’t buy a swasticar” on hundreds of Teslas in the city to raise funds for antifascist causes, according to a Newsweek report. And the phrase has now travelled to Southeast Asia. The Tesla pushback in Malaysia gained momentum after Trump on February 4 announced plans for the US to potentially seize control of Gaza to rebuild the strip into the “Riviera of the Middle East”, and for Palestinians to be relocated to other countries such as Egypt and Jordan. For decades, Malaysia has been a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is the region’s leading voice against Israel’s war on Gaza. Malaysians flooded social media with hundreds of comments condemning Musk and Tesla for aligning with Trump’s plans. “Will never support a company that planned to displace Palestinians from Gaza, vote with our money,” read a Facebook comment by one YH Chin. Others drew parallels between Tesla’s ties with Trump and Israel with that of German carmakers and the Nazis during World War II. “The new Nazi car. Racists and Betas will love it,” read a comment by Prabha Krishnan, using a term commonly used by incels – members of online male-only communities – to describe subservient males. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Musk’s attention to politics has harmed Tesla’s interests, especially in Malaysia, where the brand faces intense competition from Chinese EV makers, according to a local EV owner. A key concern is the safety of Malaysian Tesla owners from possible acts of vandalism. “I think Tesla and Musk are intertwined and the fact that Musk is spending a lot of time and energy doing non-Tesla things isn’t good for Tesla,” said the owner, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals. A Tesla boycott, however, is unlikely to make much of a dent on Malaysia’s goal of transitioning 70 per cent of privately owned vehicles to EVs by 2050, as local market forces are already leaning towards more affordable Chinese and domestic brands, according to Heikal Rosnan, deputy managing director at political risk consultancy BowerGroupAsia. Heikal said Tesla’s sustained high prices made it much less attractive compared to offerings by home-grown marques Proton and soon Perodua, both of which would be bolstered by government incentives. The US firm’s lack of investments in new infrastructure and services in Malaysia also puts it on the back foot against Chinese EV makers. “A boycott, if it takes place, would only serve as a catalyst to speed up what is already happening,” he told This Week in Asia. Tesla officially entered the Malaysian market in July 2023 with the launch of a showroom and customer experience centre, its first in Southeast Asia. The launch came at a time when Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand were actively trying to court Musk to set up the EV maker’s first regional assembly plant. Malaysian demand for Tesla’s models has been strong, but the US firm has struggled to compete with Chinese brands offering cheaper alternatives. BYD, China’s top EV maker, was the top-selling EV brand in Malaysia in 2024 with 8,750 units registered with the road transport department, followed by Tesla with 5,137 units. Trump had said that the 2 million Palestinians who the move would displace will have no right to return, “because they’re going to have much better housing”. Musk was a major donor to Trump’s re-election campaign, and has since become a key adviser to the US president.

Tesla faces boycott as Malaysians link Musk’s support for Trump to Gaza plan

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The backlash highlights the potential impact of Musk’s political involvement on Tesla’s business, particularly in a region with strong pro-Palestinian sentiment

The backlash highlights the potential impact of Musk’s political involvement on Tesla’s business, particularly in a region with strong pro-Palestinian sentiment