‘No more Tesla’: Manitoba driver caught in crosshairs of ‘Tesla Takedown’ protests

Some unsuspecting Manitoba drivers are getting caught up as protestors look to target Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Danton Unger explains.

Some Tesla owners are getting caught in the crosshairs of controversy as Canadians join ‘Tesla Takedown’ protests targeting Elon Musk.

When Winnipegger Arsh Brar bought his Tesla three years ago, he got it for its environmental benefits.

“My friend recommended, ‘Tesla is good, like a futuristic car.’”

But he didn’t realize all the controversy that was going to come with it. Now he wants to leave his Tesla behind.

“No more Tesla. I’m planning for the sale of my car,” he said.

He’s not alone. Canadians across the country have joined a series of ‘Tesla Takedown’ protests. The groups are boycotting the electric car company and denouncing its CEO, Elon Musk, as he works closely with U.S. President Donald Trump.

“There’s also a broader, deeper undercurrent around this, which is about the question of the influence of the super-rich in politics and democratic processes,” Mark Hudson, a professor in the University of Manitoba sociology department, told CTV News.

He said some Tesla owners, like Brar, have found themselves caught in the crosshairs of a larger conversation.

“They are driving around now in something that has become symbolic of a particular person and a particular kind of politics,” he said. “They had very little way of understanding what that symbol was going to become three years down the road.”

While these protests have yet to hit Winnipeg, the impact of the ‘Tesla Takedown’ movement is already here.

At Nott Auto, the dealership has had to post a sign on its front doors, telling customers it is not a Tesla dealership or affiliated with the company.

General Sales Manager Myles Bennett said the dealership has made some changes in the past month. It has stopped buying wholesale direct leases from Tesla and has stopped buying Tesla vehicles at auction.

He said the dealership will continue to offer Canadian-titled pre-owned Tesla vehicles.

“We’ve sold thousands of Teslas in Manitoba and all those customers, we aren’t going to leave hung out to dry,” he said. “Obviously, a lot of people bought pre-election and all that kind of stuff. And as long as they’re Canadian pre-owned Tesla vehicles. We’re here to help them.”

Bennett said he hasn’t seen a big change in the market for the electric vehicles.

But for Brar, with everything going on, he said he’s worried he will end up losing money.

“(It’s) very difficult. I bought a $70,000 car. But now, sale market value is only $30,000,” he said.