French Tesla Customers Sue Brand Over Becoming 'Extreme Right'
Around 10 French clients with leases on Teslas are suing the US carmaker, run by Elon Musk, because they consider the vehicles to be "extreme-right" symbols, the law firm representing them said on Wednesday.
They feel they suffered "direct and concrete" damage from the way Teslas are now associated with "Elon Musk's actions", the GKA law firm said.
They are demanding the Paris commercial court order their lease contracts be terminated and legal costs reimbursed, it said in a statement, signed by lawyers Patrick Klugman and Ivan Terel.
The lawsuit comes as Tesla sales in the European Union have almost halved since the beginning of the year, a slump attributed to Musk's political activities.
Those activities include him -- until last week -- standing firmly with US President Donald Trump, and overseeing efforts to cut down US departments and agencies.
He has also lent public support to Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, and came under criticism for making a repeated gesture with an out-thrust arm interpreted by many historians to be a Nazi salute.
"Because of Elon Musk's actions... Tesla branded vehicles have become strong political symbols and now appear to be veritable extreme-right 'totems', to the dismay of those who acquired them with the sole aim of possessing an innovative and ecological vehicle," GKA said in a statement.
The perception of the Teslas they leased "prevents them from fully enjoying their car", it said.
Most of the leases run for four years, with an option at the end to buy the vehicle.
Tesla cars in Europe and elsewhere have been targeted by vandals, with some drivers reporting they have been insulted for using what is sometimes called on social media a "swasti-car".
Several owners have taken to putting stickers on their Teslas reading "I bought this before Elon went crazy".
"The situation is both unexpected and impossible for French Tesla owners," Klugman told AFP.
"Musk's political positions have interrupted enjoyment" of the vehicles, and "we believe that Mr Musk owes these buyers the peaceful possession of the thing sold", he said.
Contacted by AFP for comment, Tesla did not immediately respond.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
15 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
House passes $9.4B federal budget cuts targeting PBS, NPR, and foreign aid
(Bloomberg) -- The US House approved $9.4 billion in Elon Musk's DOGE federal spending cuts, with Republican moderates swallowing their concerns about cutting previously approved spending for foreign aid and public broadcasting. The White House's spending cancellation package passed the House on a 214 to 212 vote. It faces a more uncertain future in the Senate where moderates have voiced opposition to some of the cuts and could strip them out of the package. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the Senate may amend the package before it votes on it in July. The bill would codify DOGE's unilateral cuts to the US Agency for International Development and the US Institute of Peace. USAID cuts have been criticized for endangering lives in developing countries that rely on help from the US. The measure also approves cuts of more than $1 billion for the entity that funds the Public Broadcasting System and National Public Radio. The cuts were designed by the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency but opponents say only Congress can take away funding that it approved. The White House promised to send many more cut requests if this bill passed. 'It's very important for it to pass and if it does, it will be worth the effort and we'll send up additional packages,' White House Budget Director Russ Vought told House members last week. Skeptics of the House tax bill, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates will add $3 trillion to the national debt over 10 years, have cited making DOGE cuts permanent as key to their support. 'In DOGE we trust,' said Representative Tom McClintock of California. Cuts to rural PBS stations as well as to a successful foreign aid program to combat AIDS started by former President George W. Bush gave some Republican moderates pause but they dropped their opposition under pressure from GOP leaders. 'They're not touching the medical side of it, the medicine side, so I feel better than what I was hearing last week, that it was going to be a total cut,' Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska said of the anti-AIDS program known as PEPFAR. In the Senate, moderates Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine have said they would seek to strip out the anti-AIDS funding cuts. The bill would eliminate advanced funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds PBS and NPR, entities which have long been targeted by conservatives for alleged liberal bias. President Donald Trump has derided the outlets as a drain on taxpayer money that he says provide unfavorable coverage to him. The public media outlets receive a small portion of their funding from federal sources in addition to dollars from sponsors and individual donors. The networks have said that smaller stations could close as a result of the cut. The proposal was submitted by the Trump administration under a fast-track procedure that cannot be filibustered by minority Democrats in the Senate. If the Senate doesn't act within 45 days, the funds would be distributed. Critics of Musk's DOGE effort say that its unilateral cuts and mass firings are illegal under the 1974 Impoundments Control Act and the only way to legally rescind funding is to go through Congress. Vought has said that without Congress's approval, the administration has the right to simply refuse to spend the money, an assertion that would certainly be challenged in court. --With assistance from Gregory Korte. More stories like this are available on ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
India Today
32 minutes ago
- India Today
I like Tesla: Trump softens tone after Musk backtracks in ugly feud
US President Donald Trump said he still likes Tesla, even after a public spat with its CEO, Elon Musk. Speaking at a White House event on Thursday, Trump said, "I like Tesla," and added, "A lot of people love the electric. They like Tesla. So do I. In all fairness, I like Tesla and I like others too, but I also like combustion engines."advertisementHe had threatened to move his red Tesla to the White House. Trump made these comments during an event where he officially ended California's strict electric vehicle (EV) rules. While signing documents to cancel the state's EV mandates, Trump joked, "Now we know why Elon doesn't like me so much, which he does, actually. He does."The joke was a nod to the recent argument between the two. Musk lashed out at Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' calling it a "disgusting abomination." He even said the president should be impeached, to which, Trump responded by saying he was "disappointed" in Musk. BREAKING: President Trump says "I like Tesla." DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) June 12, 2025MUSK SAYS HE WENT TOO FAR Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has since admitted he went too far with his online posts about Trump. On Wednesday, Musk wrote on his social media platform X, "I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far."advertisementHe deleted several posts related to Trump -- including the post where he supported the idea of Trump being impeached. However, he still believes the Trump tax bill will only increase the country's financial tension between the two all-weather friends escalated to an extent that Musk even talked about starting his new political party. But things calmed down after close aides to both men stepped President JD Vance, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and David Sacks -- a friend of Musk and a senior Trump advisor on crypto -- all worked behind the scenes to bring Musk and Trump back on good to reporters at the Kennedy Centre, Vance confirmed he had spoken to both Trump and Musk. "We're trying to ensure that Elon is publicly supporting and privately supporting the president's agenda," Vance said. He also mentioned that Trump was "rightfully very frustrated" by Musk's comments but didn't want to continue fighting with InMust Watch
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
From The Hindu, June 13, 1925: Situation in China
An anti-Communist circular Shanghai, June 12: The fact that discord exists among the strikers is shown by the distribution in the French concession of a quantity of Chinese circulars accusing the Communists of taking advantage of the disturbances to carry out their plots and asserting that the local Communists have received large funds from Russia. The circular says: 'We weep for the deaths of our brethren while the Communists laugh in the dark. We are fighting for our national rights and freedom, while they are selling our freedom to Russia. Citizens! It is not foreigners who are killing us but Communists.'
