WINONA Minn. – Hoping against hope, the Sugar Loaf auto dealership is asking $28,000 for a used 2021 Tesla Model Y. It’s the only Tesla on any Winona lot as the once-vaunted brand has come suddenly to be shunned in the marketplace in swelling distaste against the company founder Elon Musk. Widespread frustration has exploded against Musk as President Trump’s hatchet man in recklessly dismantling government services, firing thousands of government employees without warning, and canceling hundreds of government contracts. How has public frustration manifested itself? Tesla dealerships have been subject to embarrassing demonstrations. People have set Teslas on fire, spray-painted swastikas on them, and middle-fingered Tesla drivers on the street. This is not to mention dog shit smeared on windshields, hoods, and door handles. Less visceral but perhaps more potent is a boycott. Tesla sales are off 43%. Investors have been liquidating their stock. Shares dropped 53% this week. Desperate to stem the setbacks, Musk implored employees not to sell their company stock. But then came legally required filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that showed top officers at the company had offloaded $100 million in shares since early February — and not one of them making any purchases. The sellers included Musk ally James Murdoch, son of Fox media magnate Rupert Murdoch, a Tesla board member since 2017. He sold shares worth $13 million.
Unloved Tesla. Pretty to look at in some eyes but suddenly a marketplace pariah. Sitting on a Winona lot — $28,000 and 64,000 miles. Be seen in it if you dare. Price very negotiable.
Troubled dealerships
The nearest Tesla dealerships are three in the Twin Cities. Neither Wisconsin nor Iowa allow Tesla sales because of long-standing dealership requirements. The brand was introduced in 2011.
Stickers. Plastered next to chrome Tesla logo on a hood on a dealer lot. Protests have been major in Europe after Musk endorsed a fascist-leaning candidate in German elections.