In recent weeks, Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, have been under intense scrutiny and criticism in the United States. Musk, who has made many provocative comments, including those related to political and social issues, is also a close ally of president Donald Trump.

As a result, protests have emerged in the US, with demonstrators voicing their grievances over both Musk's actions and Tesla's labour practices which reportedly feature poor working conditions and disputes.

While the "Tesla Takedown" protests have been largely peaceful, some have set fires intentionally in Tesla showrooms or vandalized charging stations and Cybertrucks as Musk continues to involve himself with Trump and US politics.

In Asia, between February 12 and March 12, 2025, the volume of mentions of Tesla on social media reflected a growing unease, according to an exclusive study for PRovoke Media by media intelligence firm CARMA.

Users widely shared news of Tesla's stock plummeting by 55% within a mere two and a half months. The company's substantial single-day drop of 15% on the other hand marked its largest decline since 2020, primarily driven by concerns over EV demand. This was significantly discussed in Asia online in mid-March.

Asian netizens also engaged in discussions about Tesla's recent challenges, including boycotts stemming from Musk's perceived controversial actions. Notably, a report surfaced alleging Musk performed a Nazi salute, which intensified calls for boycotting Tesla, particularly in regions such as Malaysia.

Many netizens in Malaysia encouraged boycotting Tesla due to its perceived association with Israel and Nazi ideology. Users there celebrated the decline in Tesla's stock price, attributing it to Elon Musk's actions. Despite that, CARMA still noted that there was 51.8% neutral sentiments, 25.1% negative and 23.1% positive sentiments. 


However, Japan took the lead in social media conversations mentioning Tesla in Asia at 40.5%. South Korean came next at 22.2% followed by Indonesia at 15%. In Japan, users commented on the anti-Tesla protests and boycotts in the US. Japanese netizens seemed to be critical of Musk's controversial role in the US government and they commented that his ties with Tesla damaged the brand reputation world wide. Japan's online sentiments regarding Tesla still held steady despite this with 41.1% neutral sentiments, 30.4% positive and only 28.5% negative. 

Users from South Korea on the other hand shared achievements of Tesla related to China. For example by sharing videos of Tesla's FSD capabilities in various scenarios. It saw a whopping 49.1% positive sentiments, 38.4% neutral and 12.3% negative.

In Indonesia, some users expressed disappointment that Tesla had yet to invest in Indonesia, suggesting the government should focus on improving infrastructure and bureaucracy. It's sentiments were 46.2% neutral, 21% negative and 32.8% positive. 

Netizens in the Philippines  shared the unveiling of the Tesla Model Y in the Philippines, as well as international news regarding Tesla such as the boycotts in France. It saw 47.3% neutral sentiments, 27.5% negative sentiments and 25.2% positive sentiments. 

Over in Singapore, mentions mostly revolved around the decline of Tesla's stock price. Some commented that Musk's actions and statements are negatively impacting Tesla's sales. Surprisingly, there still remains a majority positive idea of Tesla in Singapore with 41.2% positive, 38.1% neutral and only 20.7% negative sentiments. 

This was similar in Hong Kong where a majority of mentions in Hong Kong expressed strong support Tesla despite recent stock price drops and negative news. It saw 34% positive sentiments, 41.8% neutral ones and 24.2% negative.