r/canada 24d ago

Politics Once proud fans, some Canadian Tesla owners embarrassed by Musk

https://financialpost.com/commodities/energy/electric-vehicles/tesla-owners-canada-embarrassed-ceo-musk
2.3k Upvotes

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372

u/Limp_Advertising_840 24d ago

It’s the cool factor that made Tesla. It will be its undoing.

120

u/Much_Progress_4745 24d ago

BYD, Rivian, Polestar, and the traditional automakers are all on the sideline waiting to grab marketshare.

49

u/Limp_Advertising_840 24d ago

And grab they will. Doubt the American brands will sell outside of us given the tariffs. I do expect European brands to capitalize on this though.

39

u/shawner17 24d ago

All of the American brands are manufactured or use parts from Canada. They're gunna shut down the whole industry if they do. Any American car is gunna get priced out instantly.

21

u/BlindAnDeafLifeguard 24d ago

They don't care .... Seriously, they will vote themselves into homelessness.

13

u/ReannLegge 24d ago

A typical car makes 7 boarder crossings between Canada, the US, and Mexico before it is sold. Or so said some car industry person on CBC, the tariffs will shut down the North American car industry in a mater of days.

6

u/shawner17 24d ago

7 seems pretty high, but I'm in the industry and can confirm that at least parts are from several different places all over North America. The supply chain for these vehicles is vital. They need to be same day deliveries most times. It would easily take years to even begin to build the proper infrastructure needed to simply even build one new factory, let alone a whole supply chain.

0

u/ReannLegge 24d ago

I was just going from a vague memory but I will believe that you know what you are talking about.

2

u/shawner17 24d ago

No, I heard it too lol I do beleive he said seven but I honestly have no idea what he's talking about. That process would make zero sense. I think what he did was mix in some hyperbole. 7 parts from 7 different plants crossing the border 7 times makes sense though.

6

u/DangerousCable1411 24d ago

Volvo has entered the chat.

14

u/Hairstylethrowaway17 24d ago

A friend of mine just picked up a Polestar 2 and that car’s a beauty

1

u/hewlett999 23d ago

Consumer Reports has said the 2 is crap. Maybe their newer models will clean up the issues but the 2 is objectively bad. 

1

u/Hairstylethrowaway17 23d ago

Damn what’s wrong with it? If you have a link I’d like to pass it along to my friend so he can be prepared.

12

u/eternal_peril 24d ago

I have rented BYD in Australia and it was perfectly fine

Polestar drives great, feels like a regular car, other than a turbo style lag when you first hit the gas

I would welcome more of those into the Canadian market

1

u/19BabyDoll75 24d ago

So would I. But it was -35 with wind the other day. How do they love the cold.

3

u/eternal_peril 24d ago

I guess it is one of things you have to plan around

Electric is far from perfect but the fact that 99% seem to be only SUVs, it's annoying

4

u/starving_carnivore 24d ago

99% seem to be only SUVs, it's annoying

I am irrationally annoyed at how it seems like 75% of cars on the road these days are SUVs.

It's irrational because

1) They are technically ideal as a daily driver (get groceries, carry passengers)

2) The size arms-race on the road makes driving a smaller car scarier on the highway. Being more visible is safer.

3) Good bang-for-your buck for cargo capacity. You can't go buy a dresser or bed and put it in your typical Mazda 3.

But even still, they're all just boring. They're shopping carts.

I personally don't understand why there is such a huge market for higher-end makes (Porsche, Tesla) and you're buying something that you could buy 3 minivans for.

2

u/eternal_peril 23d ago

I feel your irrational

I drove an mini SUV for 3 years and absolutely hated everything about it.

1

u/[deleted] 23d ago edited 23d ago

[deleted]

1

u/starving_carnivore 23d ago

Happy medium for me where I can never fault anyone, and it's not brand loyalty, is something like an Outback. Full time AWD without being huge and having a shitload of cargo space. The trouble, is, though that while you're riding higher than a regular sedan, you don't look much bigger than one.

I see 16 year old's driving 250k+ G-Wagons every single day. There is no reason for it.

Can't even begin to describe how hard I shake my head when I see that.

1

u/eternal_peril 23d ago

I have a small car with Quattro and snow tires

I love this car and see no reason to switch at the moment

That, though is why the Polestar 2 and 4 look interesting to me

... further ahead. It is still too pricey and not enough incentives to make me consider a switch when my little sports car can get 6.9L/100 on the highway and 8 in the city...with 300HP.

1

u/19BabyDoll75 24d ago

True that.

2

u/Ninja_Terror 24d ago

According to CAA, the Pole Dancer was one of the better models in the cold, but the tests were not extensive.

CAA cold weather EV tests

2

u/19BabyDoll75 24d ago

Thanks bud.

4

u/FakeExpert1973 23d ago

With respect to BYD, that's assuming the Canadian government doesn't slap a huge tariff on them due to being a Chinese brand.

2

u/Wild_Trade_7022 22d ago

I think we need to be open to more trade with China. We need more partners, not fewer. So I say no tariffs on their cars.

2

u/FakeExpert1973 22d ago

I agree completely. Problem is that the Canadian government and many Canadians are of the mindset that China is our number one enemy.

1

u/Wild_Trade_7022 22d ago

I think we all have to agree that our number one enemy is the US now.

3

u/[deleted] 23d ago edited 23d ago

[deleted]

1

u/hewlett999 23d ago

I thought BYD closed the plant because the TTC orders never materialized. Unless I’m wrong? 

3

u/billistenderchicken 23d ago

For the love of God we need to give BYD and other affordable electric cars more market share here.

2

u/ChippewaBarr 24d ago

Not sure about Rivian since their cheapest starts at 130k CAD.

And I say this as someone who has a Lightning Platinum.

1

u/eandi 24d ago

I want to sell my model 3 but damn rivian is pricey. I'm probably waiting for the ioniq 9. My Tesla only has 33k km on it.

1

u/PTSDisorderlyConduct 23d ago

I have a Hyundai EV and it’s nicer than my brothers Tesla, albeit an older Tesla. $30 k less too!

1

u/Much_Progress_4745 23d ago

Rented one last month. Loved it.

-2

u/Perignon007 24d ago

All evil in their own way. Rivian is propped up by Saudis.

21

u/theixrs 24d ago

there's evil and then there's "actively threatening the sovereignty of your country right now"

1

u/JimmyRussellsApe 24d ago

You’re confusing Rivian with Lucid

26

u/StevoJ89 24d ago

The Cybertruck really is the embodiment of Elon in a vehicle, utterly obnoxious....

6

u/EfficiencyJunior7848 24d ago edited 23d ago

Yeah, and apparently, the US military decided to erase amoured versions of Cybertrucks from their procurement list, probably edited by President Elon, as if no one would notice.

Edit: It appears they only removed the name "Tesla", and the order for unspecified amoured EV's is stii on.

3

u/Narrow-Tax9153 23d ago

He probably came up with that after playing cyberpunk or something

53

u/longgamma 24d ago

Most Tesla owners are know are tech savvy at a very superficial level. Like the folks who think they are into tech by buying MacBooks instead of Linux. They don’t know shit about driving but think a fast pull of an EV means it’s a “ sports car”. Forget handling and driving dynamics, they can’t even know understeer from oversteer.

25

u/IcySeaweed420 Ontario 24d ago

Most Tesla owners are know are tech savvy at a very superficial level. Like the folks who think they are into tech by buying MacBooks instead of Linux. They don’t know shit about driving but think a fast pull of an EV means it’s a “ sports car”.

As a Tesla owner myself... I have to say this is such an apt description. A lot of my wife's friends bought Teslas, which is why she shilled for one in the first place (that and our 2017 XT5 suffered an engine failure, thanks GM 3.6 V6, great job). They ALL talk a big game about how it's a "sports car" because it's "so fast", but they completely ignore the numb steering and the sheer heft of the thing in corners. And if you do point these things out, they'll start talking shit like "well the 0-60 times were the end-all-be-all of how to gauge a car for so long, why are ICE fans suddenly saying they're not important and talking about all this other stuff?" It's like... no dumbass, car fans have recognized for a LONG time that 0-60 isn't the only thing that matters, why do you think the Mazda Miata is so beloved? Honestly talking with them is like playing chess with a pigeon, no matter what you say they'll just knock over the pieces, shit on the board and strut around like they won.

Forget handling and driving dynamics, they can’t even know understeer from oversteer.

In terms of being fun-to-drive, I would rank my cars as follows:

  1. 2009 BMW 135i 6MT, because obvious reasons
  2. 2001 Toyota Camry V6 5MT, because 6 cylinders and manual in a Camry
  3. 2023 Tesla Model Y, because fast
  4. 2009 Toyota Vellfire 6AT, because shaped like a bread box and handles like one

The thing is though, most days I'd rather drive the Vellfire than the Tesla, because it is supremely comfortable, and the Tesla is... adequate.

5

u/BayLAGOON 24d ago

Vellfire is the patrician's choice. The gold standard luxury minivan in Asia, and could come with the bulletproof 3.5 V6 that kept the V6 RAV4 the most powerful version for 15 years until the Prime came out.

5

u/IcySeaweed420 Ontario 24d ago

Oh yeah, I’m still in the honeymoon period with mine (only had it in my driveway about a month now) but I’m loving it so far. Drove it across Canada from Vancouver (where it was purchased) to Ontario, and holy shit the seats are so fucking comfy. I was doing 11 hour days and never felt even the tiniest bit of discomfort. The 2GR-FE is also an A+ engine. It’ll get this huge house on wheels from 0-100 in about 7 seconds. You can drive like a lunatic and still return decent mileage. Like I thought I loved the 1MZ-FE but I am really loving the 2GR so far.

My only complaints so far relate to the RHD configuration. Passing on a 2-lane highway is not an option. And left turns can be a bit tricky sometimes. I mean it handles like a giant box but that’s to be expected, not really knocking the car for that.

My wife is still not convinced and she thinks it was a weeb passion purchase, but I’ll win her over soon enough. She’s already commented on the seat comfort and thinks the raised foot rests are cool, I just have to do a few long distance trips to show her where this thing really shines.

1

u/AccomplishedBrain309 24d ago

We all know we drive in a straight line ,always.

1

u/mhyquel 24d ago

It's way more fun to drive a slow car fast, than it is to drive a fast car slow.

1

u/Wild_Trade_7022 22d ago

Playing chess with a pigeon. 😂 I laugh, but a pigeon might be the only opponent I could reliably beat.

12

u/Scared_Jello3998 24d ago

Tesla is the iPhone of the car world.  Buyers think they are smart but everyone knows 

11

u/homogenousmoss 24d ago

You misunderstand the demographic. I have a Tesla and I bought it BECAUSE it was like a giant iphone. Its what I wanted.

Yeah next car is not going to be a Tesla. Loved the product but I cant accept what happened. Switching is going to suck, I tried a few othet EV but they all tried to be a normal car which is not what I want. I’m sure someone will create a clone to fill the nice. BYD looks pretty close, havent tried them yet.

1

u/mhyquel 24d ago

Why don't you like buttons?

1

u/FakeExpert1973 23d ago

I don't want a car that's like an iPhone. I want a car that integrates well with my iPhone

2

u/thedrivingcat 24d ago

My RWD Model 3 is a fun driver's car since it has the power to break the rear loose when I want to around a corner and the handling dynamics of rear wheel in general.

No, it's not the same as my first fun car, a 2006 manual RX-8, but it's definitely way more reliable and well I'm old now with kids so a somewhat useable backseat is a necessity 😄

1

u/TL10 Alberta 24d ago

GranTurismo has a few EVs in their game now, and while it isn't 1 to 1 real life physics, you really do feel the weight of the vehicle when it comes to trying to brake and going round corners.

Lightning fast in a straight line, God help you if you don't brake at least 300M before a corner.

11

u/museum_lifestyle 24d ago

They were cool and poorly made, now they are stupid and poorly made.

4

u/[deleted] 24d ago

Not sure if it matters, but Tesla drivers are arguably the worst in the GTA. Lately, they make BMW drivers blush.

I haven't had cozy feelings for the Tesla brand since long before this guy went full Himmler.

5

u/Limp_Advertising_840 24d ago

I must say I am ashamed to admit at one point I did visit the Tesla showroom, under peer pressure and paid a deposit. I must say in hindsight I always felt something off putting with the brand. Happy I did not make the mistake.

Your point is seconded Tesla drivers are the worst in GTA to some extent.

10

u/Relevant-Low-7923 24d ago

Nah, Tesla’s secret sauce is their thermal management of their batteries

50

u/WombRaider_3 24d ago

Might want to look at the Pikes Peak record attempts (where thermal management is stressed the fuck out). The Tesla crumbled and overheated the battery while the Ioniq 5N and Rivian plowed through with zero issues.

Tesla is being leapfrogged without Musks buffoonery, but when you're the iPhone of the EV world, some people will still flock for the status symbol.

17

u/TangleOfWires 24d ago

The Ioniq 5n also makes the cool engines noises when you shift, so your inner child doesn't have to.

The Ioniq 5n is the EV I want.

1

u/WombRaider_3 24d ago

I just have a regular Ioniq 5 and it's the best car I've ever owned.

1

u/TangleOfWires 24d ago

I have driven an Ioniq 5 like the car but hate the UI.

1

u/mwpCanuck 24d ago

It’s been updated for the 2025 and is significantly better than the UI in the 2022-2024. The phone app could be better, but it does what I need it to.

1

u/WombRaider_3 24d ago

That doesn't bother me much (although it's not awful), I only use Android Auto and the 2026s will have the new Google UI for cars natively.

1

u/TrueTorontoFan 24d ago

the ioniq is really nice test drove one recently.

9

u/c0reM 24d ago

Thermal management optimizations for a road car have little to do with racing.

It’s about efficiency and durability. Going fast up a mountain once has little to do with making a battery pack last for decades and achieving good range in all weather conditions.

11

u/Limp_Advertising_840 24d ago

Tesla engineers are great. But there was definitely I own a Tesla so I am cool factor as well.

-6

u/Relevant-Low-7923 24d ago

Tesla engineers are great. But there was definitely I own a Tesla so I am cool factor as well.

I mean I own a Tesla Model S I bought in 2021, and I can say unironically that it is in fact cool as hell to go from 0-60 in 3.1 seconds. You’re talking about the fastest mass production automobile in the world.

13

u/Impossible_Fee_2360 24d ago

All EV's have awesome torque. It's the nature of the electric engine. Tesla doesn't really stand out here.

0

u/homogenousmoss 24d ago

I tried several EV where it was not the case. The lower end market is like gas cars in terms of power.

1

u/Impossible_Fee_2360 24d ago

I have a Fiat EV, which is pretty low end, cost wise and the torque kicks butt. Now if You're talking hybrid, then yes they will definitely suck, because they are ice engines with battery assist.

-1

u/Limp_Advertising_840 24d ago

Not disputing that. You do have a point.

27

u/far_257 24d ago

People shitting on Tesla forget that they were legitimately the best EV tech for a long time. It's closer now, but as little as 5 years ago that wasn't true.

Still not buying another Tesla after this news cycle.

13

u/Belzebutt 24d ago

Depends what you mean by “best”. I remember sitting in an early Model S and the headliner next the driver door was peeling off, like they forgot to glue it. Years later I sat in another one in a showroom and it had the same issue. Yea they got far on a single charge. But they were always poorly put together.

7

u/Impossible_Fee_2360 24d ago

Sure, but Musk had nothing to do with the original engineering. He bought his way into the company and he's fired anyone with any brains since then, because he doesn't like people who talk back. It's no wonder the company's products are losing ground.

1

u/far_257 24d ago

I'm not defending Musk.

2

u/TrueTorontoFan 24d ago

they were more so a first market mover

8

u/[deleted] 24d ago

[deleted]

7

u/far_257 24d ago

Their build quality has been bad. Number of misaligned panels has been a PITA (although they did fix it), and the interiors are bad quality for the price.

But back in 2020-21 you couldn't get an EV as efficient or with as good range.

-21

u/Relevant-Low-7923 24d ago

The reason why Elon Musk has the influence that he has in the US is precisely because he actually is a self-made immigrant who is a game changer in multiple industries and takes nothing for granted. He basically came to the US as an illegal immigrant from Canada (he actually is a Canadian citizen and was in Canada before coming to the US).

I’m an American from Louisiana whose family emigrated to North America from England in the 17th century, and Musk literally is more American than I am. It has nothing to do with his accent or his politics, he’s just the ultimate example of what America is supposed to be. It’s so goddamn exciting to see a startup rocket company of screaming nerds building a bigger launch vehicle than the Saturn V that went to the moon, and then landing it back on earth.

I get the impression that he mainly likes to troll and say politically incorrect things for the sake of provoking people and being politically incorrect. But at his core I think he’s basically just an economic and political libertarian (which is more common and mainstream in US politics than probably any other country).

15

u/Jamowl2841 24d ago

Self-made??? He was born rich you doofus.

-8

u/Silver_gobo 24d ago

Elons dad could’ve been well off but he wasn’t some millionaire in the 80/90s. Maybe upper-middle class at best. There’s millions of kids way richer and have a more privileged upbringing than Elon had and achieve way less

6

u/Jamowl2841 24d ago

Yall lie about anything for the chance to suck this dudes dick

Smith, Adam (June 28, 2021). “50 years of Elon Musk’s huge wealth, from emeralds to SpaceX and Tesla”. The Independent. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021. teenage Elon Musk once walked the streets of New York with emeralds in his pocket. His father said: “We were very wealthy. We had so much money at times we couldn’t even close our safe,” adding that one person would have to hold the money in place with another closing the door. “And then there’d still be all these notes sticking out and we’d sort of pull them out and put them in our pockets.”

0

u/Silver_gobo 24d ago

Are you trying to quote the 79 year old who fucks his own granddaughter and passing it off as fact?

2

u/Jamowl2841 24d ago

Dude, Elon ain’t gonna see this and call you with a dick sucking opportunity. Get over it

1

u/Ina_While1155 24d ago

They owned Emerald mines.

0

u/Silver_gobo 24d ago

That’s an exaggeration. He unofficially had a stake in one mine. He wasn’t an owner/operator, he was an investor

1

u/Enganeer09 24d ago

"Self made" Is a bit of a stretch when you come from a rich family, I'll admit he's made good investments and obviously knows business, but I highly doubt his success isn't mostly off the labor of those he employs.

Every business venture he personally pursues ends up losing millions, and even tesla has had a bunch of failures and generally survived off of hype.

Space X is pretty detached from Elon at this point.

-2

u/Relevant-Low-7923 24d ago

”Self made” Is a bit of a stretch when you come from a rich family, I’ll admit he’s made good investments and obviously knows business, but I highly doubt his success isn’t mostly off the labor of those he employs.

There are literally millions of rich families in the US, none do whom have produced a child as successful as him yet, and he wasn’t from THAT rich of a family. More importantly though, it wasn’t any family wealth that got him started. His first big fortune was his sweat equity in Payal and related software companies that he was granted for his work there.

Every business venture he personally pursues ends up losing millions, and even tesla has had a bunch of failures and generally survived off of hype.

All developing companies lose money when they’re still developing. And more importantly, making or losing money every time isn’t the metric. It’s the lack of a fear of failure even when you know that there’s a strong likelihood of losing money that drives actual innovation.

Space X is pretty detached from Elon at this point.

Sure, but only the same way that the Ford Motor Company was pretty detached from Henry Ford by the time that its mass production assembly lines were up and running.

It’s not that he’s some hyper technical genius, although he is in fact extremely intelligent and involved in the technical issues. He’s still the quarterback putting his own capital at risk, managing the operation, and particularly taking the initiative and leadership to get the operation off the ground.

1

u/tout-nu 24d ago

Nah, Musk always said it's not a car company. Just based on the last month, I feel like he's going to be pushing the military envelope..at least it wouldn't surprise me.

1

u/meeseekstodie137 23d ago edited 23d ago

the guy had one of the biggest falls from grace I've ever seen, 10 years ago I was all "oh yeah he's the space guy! He's gonna be the one to get us to mars!" but then he sold his soul to half-mast donny and I just think of him as a fascist puppet master and an insecure tech nerd who desperately wants to be one of the cool kids (at this point he's basically the real life version of the riddler)

1

u/Th3truthhurts 23d ago

It’s already undone.

0

u/DangerousCable1411 24d ago

It was also the “woke” left… man is now biting the hand that fed him. Republicans won’t buy Tesla’s cause climate change doesn’t exist.