By Charlotte Van Campenhout
PARIS (Reuters) -A small group of Tesla owners in France is suing the carmaker run by Elon Musk, alleging its vehicles have become “far-right totems” that are harming their reputation, the law firm representing the group said on Wednesday.
The group is seeking to terminate their lease contracts and recover legal costs at the Paris Commercial Court, citing the “direct and concrete” harm caused by Musk’s public behaviour after he rallied in support of Donald Trump’s presidential bid and Germany’s far-right AfD party.
The group has launched the action against a backdrop of plummeting Tesla sales in core European markets including France, Britain, Germany and Italy, in some cases in protest at Musk’s political activities and as customers favour Chinese electric vehicles because of their competitive prices.
“Tesla vehicles have become powerful political symbols and are now perceived as true far-right ‘totems,’ much to the dismay of those who purchased them solely as innovative and eco-friendly vehicles”, the plaintiffs’ lawyers Patrick Klugman and Ivan Terel at law firm GKA said in a statement.
Tesla Europe did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
GKA said about 10 Tesla leaseholders had joined the lawsuit.
Musk helped bankroll Trump’s presidential campaign and spearheaded Trump’s efforts to cut federal jobs and slash what the administration perceived as wasteful public spending.
Musk’s involvement in the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) saw him become a political lightning rod, fueling protests and vandalism at Tesla showrooms in the United States and Europe.
The GKA statement referred to a hand gesture by the billionaire during Trump’s inauguration celebrations that drew online comparisons to a Nazi salute as an example of his harmful behaviour. Musk dismissed the criticism of the gesture as a “tired” attack.
Musk said on Wednesday he regretted some of the remarks he made on social media platform X, which he owns, during an acrimonious and very public falling out with Trump last week.
(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout, Editing by Richard Lough, William Maclean)
