Tesla Takedown movement grows as sales dip across Illinois
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An anti-Tesla protest outside a Northbrook dealership on March 22. Photo: Carrie Shepherd/Axios
People are voicing their frustrations with the Trump administration's widespread federal cuts through protests of Elon Musk and Tesla.
The big picture: The Tesla Takedown movement calls on people to sell their Teslas and stock and join the picket lines in an effort to stop Musk, who movement organizers say "is destroying our democracy."
- A survey out this week shows that nearly two-thirds of Americans surveyed would not buy or lease a Tesla, with most citing Musk as part of or the entire reason.
Driving the news: More demonstrations are planned for Saturday around the world, with at least eight dealerships around Chicago, including in the Gold Coast, Northbrook and Orland Park, according to the Tesla Takedown website.
Zoom in: The protests are primarily driven by disapproval of Musk's outsized role in the Trump administration, including the creation of DOGE, which has eliminated tens of thousands of federal jobs and his proximity to government data.
- Others are using the Tesla protests to express frustration with President Trump.
Case in point: At a protest last Saturday outside a Northbrook Tesla dealership, Erin Burrell told Axios: "I don't think our country will last four years. This is an immediate situation."
- "He [Trump] is stealing the United States' resources. Musk is a consequence of the larger problem, which is Trump and his sycophants and the Republican Party," Burrell said.
State of play: Some Tesla owners have already complained about vandalism to their vehicles, and one owner told NBC5 this week that he found swastika stickers on his vehicle.
The latest: The FBI has created a task force to investigate attacks on Tesla owners and dealerships, director Kash Patel said Monday.
Zoom out: Tesla sales have slumped in the first quarter, with delivery projections down by more than 4%, and Google searches for used Teslas have fallen 13%, according to Cars.com.
- "Tesla resale values are plunging, which makes the new cars difficult to lease, and reduces current owners' ability to buy a new car, as they will have less value to apply in trade," Tom Appel from Consumer Guide Automotive tells Axios.
By the numbers: In Illinois, 475 new Teslas were registered in February, down from 609 in January and 2,135 in December 2024, according to the Secretary of State's office.
Context: Musk's political activities are just one of the reasons that could be contributing to the decline, Appel says.
- "Musk once claimed that there were 2 million "hand raisers" who had put deposits down on the Cybertruck. After selling fewer than 40,000 in 2024, consumers can now order one for immediate delivery. We can assume the decline in interest in the Cybertruck is due to poor reviews/poor performance of vehicles and exaggeration of the number of deposit holders."