Was an opinion poll on Tesla's popularity manipulated in Germany? The question arises after a strange turn of events across the Rhine. T-Online, a German media outlet, asked its readers to answer a simple question: were they still planning to buy a Tesla in the coming months, yes or no? Since its CEO joined Donald Trump, the car company has been going through a very rough patch on both sides of the Atlantic. In Germany, Tesla sales fell by 70% in the first two months of the year, as the manufacturer was penalized by its CEO's interference in local elections and his support for the German far-right AfD party.
In this context, T-Online organized a survey on its website. A week after its publication, the first results were in: more than nine out of 10 respondents did not intend to buy a Tesla soon. While there was no reason to draw any conclusions, as the survey was open to all Internet users who visited its site without further verification and without limitations, these data were published on X, a social network that also belongs to Elon Musk.
253,000 votes came from two IP addresses in the United States
And from there, the situation didn't just change: the trend completely reversed, reports the German media. Because a few days later, it was finally 7 out of 10 people surveyed said they would instead consider buying a Tesla. It must be said that the number of participants in the survey had exploded: it went from 100,000 to more than 467,000, with a majority of respondents being in favor of Tesla. Its second results were also relayed by Elon Musk himself on the social network X, explains T-Online on its site 'Noto Color Emoji';">.
While pro-Tesla supporters were able to mobilize after the first results were published on social media, this reversal of fortune, which occurred in a very short period of time, intrigued the media, which investigated the matter. According to its findings, nearly 253,000 votes came from... two IP addresses located in the United States. In other words, there was indeed manipulation of the poll, which was completely stopped.
Tesla has been going through a very difficult time since its CEO, Elon Musk, rallied behind Donald Trump, even becoming an omnipresent special advisor to the American president. The company's stock market valuation is plummeting, calls for a boycott are increasing, while the resale of Tesla cars has exploded in the United States, as owners seek to get rid of their vehicles. The company is counting on the new version of its Model Y to turn things around.
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