Elon Musk’s public image has taken a battering in recent months in the US, but in Germany, things are even worse. Local sales have collapsed, and to make matters worse, Musk making a Nazi-like salute at Donald Trump’s January inauguration has created fierce opposition to the billionaire and Tesla across the country. A new study has shed light on just how poorly Tesla is now viewed in Germany.

This survey, conducted by local publication T-Online, surveyed roughly 100,000 readers and round that 94% of respondents would not buy an EV from Tesla. A measly 3% said they would still consider buying a Tesla.

Read: Activists Project ‘Heil Tesla’ Onto Musk’s Own German Gigafactory

Many had long expected Tesla’s dominance over the EV market to slowly fade as legacy car manufacturers got their act together and launched their own EVs. However, it hasn’t really been legacy brands that have Tesla quaking in its boots, but rather newer car companies from China, including BYD. In addition, Elon Musk’s foray into politics in the United States has hampered sentiment in Tesla.

It’s not just Musk’s involvement in US politics that’s hurting Tesla. Prior to Germany’s federal election in February, Musk threw his support behind the far-right AfD party or Alternative for Germany. Musk’s questionable antics have also continued online, and last week, he reposted a tweet on X proclaiming that, “Stalin, Mao and Hitler didn’t murder millions of people,” but rather, “their public sector workers did.”

Tesla has its work cut out for it if it wants to reclaim the trust and support of Germans. Through January and February, sales were down more than 70%, despite the country’s EV market rebounding strongly after a poor 2024.

Perhaps the most important new Tesla model is the heavily updated Model Y. Featuring a design inspired by the Cybertruck and Cybercab, the new Model Y promises more efficiency and better refinement, promising to make it one of the most well-rounded EVs on the market.