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Non-Tech : Kirk's Market Thoughts -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: #Breeze who wrote (23299)	3/17/2025 10:52:56 AM
From: Kirk ©	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 26384

Dig deeper into the story and many of these sold Teslas were probably old enough for a replacement vehicle. The story doesn't mention that EVs used to be a "free pass" to drive in the HOV lanes as solo drivers for free so many wealthy people bought them to slash their commute times. Now solo EV drivers "only" get a 50% discount in the HOV lanes that were converted to TOLL lanes. Bay Area sees Tesla backlash as owners fed up with Musk sell their cars Some Bay Area residents are opting to leave Tesla in their rear-view mirrors The first and only Tesla Janis Brown ever bought was a dark green Model S in 2012. It wasn’t just a car, the Sunnyvale resident recalled; it was the car. Brown and her husband drove around the Bay Area in style, basking in the joy of owning the sleekest eco-friendly vehicle and bonding with other Tesla enthusiasts. The pair even christened it by adding a customized plate that read “Geeks Rule” — an homage to their careers in the science field. But as the years went on, no matter how far they drove, Brown couldn’t get over Tesla’s close proximity to Elon Musk and his controversial antics, from his firing of hundreds of Twitter employees in 2023 to his support for the Trump administration to his subsequent involvement in the Department of Government Efficiency — all things she deeply disagreed with. Finally — fed up with Musk and feeling the pride of owning a Tesla turning to shame — Brown pulled off the special plate and decided to sell the car on the online used-car retailer Carvana earlier this year. “It turned into, ‘I’m really embarrassed to be seen driving this thing. I don’t want people to think I think like he does,'” the 60-year-old said. Across the Bay Area, residents like Brown are choosing to leave Tesla in their rearview mirrors and selling their once-beloved cars. The decision, they say, is fueled by their desire to distance themselves from Musk — and comes as protesters around the region swarm Tesla showrooms and the company’s stocks experienced a 50% dip from its all-time high last December. In 2024, California sales dropped by 11.6%, with a total of 203,221 Teslas sold compared to 230,010 in 2023. Tesla’s total sales last year were down 1% from 2023 — the first time the company has reported such a drop. S&P Global Mobility reports registrations for Tesla vehicles in the nation were only 43,411 in January, an 11% dip compared to last year. Last month, Richmond couple Brian Ambrosch and Shelley Facente traded their cherished Model 3 for another electric car brand because of Musk. “Over the years, it got worse and worse, the feeling of driving a car associated with Elon,” Ambrosch said. The pair had bought the Tesla in 2018 and quickly grew attached to it. They had planned to keep the car until it died, Ambrosch said, but their disapproval of Musk — especially over his dismissive comments regarding transgender people and the way he handled allegations of harassment and discrimination at Tesla factories — got to them first. “I loved that car so much, I cried the day we cleaned out all our stuff, and I drove it around the block one last time,” Facente said. “But I never looked back, and I’ve never regretted our decision to offload it, even for a second.” Also disillusioned with Musk, Los Gatos resident Monika Gorkani recently sold her seven-year-old Model 3 on Carvana. The 55-year-old said she used to be an Elon fan, convinced he was going to help save the world from climate change. But Gorkani said her positive impression faltered after Musk acquired Twitter and laid off most of its staff. By the time Musk had expressed his full support for Trump in the elections, Gorkani, a Democrat, was ready to break up. Continues at mercurynews.com