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Economic Times
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Economic Times
Tesla's reputation tanks: Survey ranks it the least-trusted car brand in US - this Japanese brand scores big
Tesla, once hailed as the face of the electric vehicle revolution, is now facing a steep decline in public trust and popularity among American consumers, as per a report. According to the latest Electric Vehicle Intelligence Report (EVIR), the company now holds the lowest net trust and brand perception scores of all major automakers in the US, as reported by Ars Technica. Meanwhile, Toyota, a relatively late entrant in the EV race, has emerged as the most positively viewed brand in the survey, according to the numbers paint a concerning picture for Tesla as just 26% of respondents said they have a somewhat or very positive view of Tesla, as per the Ars Technica report. In contrast, 39% reported a somewhat or very negative view, according to the report. That gives Tesla a net-positive score of -13, as reported by Ars Technica. The deeper worry for the EV maker is that Tesla's "view intensity score", which measures those with strong opinions has dropped to -16, indicating far more people strongly dislike the brand than those who strongly support it, as per the Ars Technica report. ALSO READ: Tyrann Mathieu retires from NFL: A look back at his career and legacyToyota, on the other hand, topped the charts despite having only one EV model, the bZ4X, in the market, the Japanese automaker scored the highest in both net-positive perception and intensity, according to the fall from grace appears to be accelerating, as per the survey. In April, the company still had a net score of -7, now it's nearly double that in the negative, and the downward trend spans every major demographic, according to the report. Whether urban or suburban, wealthy or working class, and especially among Americans over the age of 65, Tesla is viewed unfavorably, as per the Ars Technica report. ALSO READ: Ozzy Osbourne's memoir 'Last Rites' to reveal his untold story that he penned before his death Only one other brand apart from Tesla, the Vietnamese automaker VinFast, scored a negative net-positive rating, as per the report. But unlike Tesla, 92% of people said they had never heard of it or had no opinion at all, as per the Ars Technica report. When it comes to trust, the results are no better as Tesla received the lowest net trust score in the EVIR, and a trust integrity score of -19, meaning significantly more people say they 'distrust Tesla a lot' than those who trust it 'a lot,' according to the Ars Technica report. Despite Tesla CEO Elon Musk frequently touting Tesla's safety credentials, public opinion is no longer buying it, as per the report. After numerous fatal accidents, many linked to Tesla's semi-autonomous driving features, only 52% of survey participants believe Teslas are safe, as per the Ars Technica report. That's the second-worst safety score in the survey, behind only VinFast, according to the report. ALSO READ: Ozzy Osbourne Family: What we know about the Black Sabbath lead vocalist's wife Sharon and children Aimee, Kelly, Jack, Jessica, Louis, Elliot Musk's ambitious robotaxi dream also appears to be faltering in the court of public opinion, because out of over 8,000 people surveyed, only 1% had ridden in a robotaxi and said they would do it again, as per the Ars Technica report. Meanwhile, the survey found that 46% said they would never consider riding in a robotaxi and more than half believe the technology should not be legal, reported Ars does Tesla rank in public trust now?Tesla has the lowest trust and brand perception score among all EV makers surveyed in the US. Is Tesla seen as a safe car brand? Only 52% of survey respondents believe Tesla cars are safe, which is the second worst in the survey.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Tesla's reputation tanks: Survey ranks it the least-trusted car brand in US - this Japanese brand scores big
Tesla , once hailed as the face of the electric vehicle revolution, is now facing a steep decline in public trust and popularity among American consumers, as per a report. According to the latest Electric Vehicle Intelligence Report (EVIR), the company now holds the lowest net trust and brand perception scores of all major automakers in the US, as reported by Ars Technica. Meanwhile, Toyota , a relatively late entrant in the EV race, has emerged as the most positively viewed brand in the survey, according to the report. Americans Turning Away from Tesla The numbers paint a concerning picture for Tesla as just 26% of respondents said they have a somewhat or very positive view of Tesla, as per the Ars Technica report. In contrast, 39% reported a somewhat or very negative view, according to the report. That gives Tesla a net-positive score of -13, as reported by Ars Technica. The deeper worry for the EV maker is that Tesla's "view intensity score", which measures those with strong opinions has dropped to -16, indicating far more people strongly dislike the brand than those who strongly support it, as per the Ars Technica report. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category PGDM Cybersecurity others healthcare Finance Leadership Project Management Degree MBA Data Science Operations Management Management Data Science Technology CXO Artificial Intelligence Others Design Thinking Healthcare Data Analytics Digital Marketing MCA Product Management Public Policy Skills you'll gain: Financial Analysis & Decision Making Quantitative & Analytical Skills Organizational Management & Leadership Innovation & Entrepreneurship Duration: 24 Months IMI Delhi Post Graduate Diploma in Management (Online) Starts on Sep 1, 2024 Get Details ALSO READ: Tyrann Mathieu retires from NFL: A look back at his career and legacy Is Toyota Winning the EV Popularity Race? Toyota, on the other hand, topped the charts despite having only one EV model, the bZ4X, in the market, the Japanese automaker scored the highest in both net-positive perception and intensity, according to the report. Tesla's Worsening Decline Across All Demographics Tesla's fall from grace appears to be accelerating, as per the survey. In April, the company still had a net score of -7, now it's nearly double that in the negative, and the downward trend spans every major demographic, according to the report. Whether urban or suburban, wealthy or working class, and especially among Americans over the age of 65, Tesla is viewed unfavorably, as per the Ars Technica report. Live Events ALSO READ: Ozzy Osbourne's memoir 'Last Rites' to reveal his untold story that he penned before his death VinFast Also Struggles, but Is Largely Unknown Only one other brand apart from Tesla, the Vietnamese automaker VinFast, scored a negative net-positive rating, as per the report. But unlike Tesla, 92% of people said they had never heard of it or had no opinion at all, as per the Ars Technica report. Trust Issues Plague Tesla's Image When it comes to trust, the results are no better as Tesla received the lowest net trust score in the EVIR, and a trust integrity score of -19, meaning significantly more people say they 'distrust Tesla a lot' than those who trust it 'a lot,' according to the Ars Technica report. Despite Tesla CEO Elon Musk frequently touting Tesla's safety credentials, public opinion is no longer buying it, as per the report. After numerous fatal accidents, many linked to Tesla's semi-autonomous driving features, only 52% of survey participants believe Teslas are safe, as per the Ars Technica report. That's the second-worst safety score in the survey, behind only VinFast, according to the report. ALSO READ: Ozzy Osbourne Family: What we know about the Black Sabbath lead vocalist's wife Sharon and children Aimee, Kelly, Jack, Jessica, Louis, Elliot Is Elon Musk's Robotaxi Dream Falling Apart? Musk's ambitious robotaxi dream also appears to be faltering in the court of public opinion, because out of over 8,000 people surveyed, only 1% had ridden in a robotaxi and said they would do it again, as per the Ars Technica report. Meanwhile, the survey found that 46% said they would never consider riding in a robotaxi and more than half believe the technology should not be legal, reported Ars Technica. FAQs How does Tesla rank in public trust now? Tesla has the lowest trust and brand perception score among all EV makers surveyed in the US. Is Tesla seen as a safe car brand? Only 52% of survey respondents believe Tesla cars are safe, which is the second worst in the survey.
WIRED
3 days ago
- Automotive
- WIRED
Did Tesla's Robotaxi Launch Backfire?
Survey data shared exclusively with WIRED suggests that Tesla's newest autonomous driving technology has freaked out some consumers. Photograph:Would you consider a ride in a self-driving car? After hearing a bit about Tesla's robotaxi launch in Austin, Texas, last month, just under half of US consumers wouldn't even think about it, according to survey data shared exclusively with WIRED. Thirty-one percent of the survey's respondents said they're not considering riding one right now. Sixty-five percent said they hadn't even heard about Tesla's robotaxi launch, which includes just a handful of cars and is open only to invited users—mostly Tesla fans. The cool reception to the launch could be less than ideal for Tesla, which has staked its future on its robotics technology. It gets worse for the electric-car maker. According to a survey, which polled 8,000 US consumers and was conducted by the market research group Electric Vehicle Intelligence Report (EVIR), 42 percent of consumers were less interested in a robotaxi ride after reading an excerpt of Wall Street Journal coverage of the Tesla launch. (The excerpt described the service and noted the potential downsides of Tesla's camera-based technology.) Just over half of those surveyed said they were less convinced that Tesla's robotaxis were safe. Over 30 percent said they strongly believed self-driving taxis should be illegal. (Twenty-four percent said they weren't sure.) Tesla, which publicly disbanded its public relations team in 2021, did not respond to WIRED's request for comment. Tesla CEO Elon Musk will likely be asked by investors about the robotaxi launch, and the public's reactions to it, during Tesla's second-quarter earnings call slated for Wednesday afternoon. The company's path-breaking approach to electric vehicles, and the tech underpinning their design and manufacture, has long made the automaker, its cars, and its mercurial leader Musk an industry lightning rod. For many years, Musk and company were able to translate that flash and noise into sky-high valuations and acclaim. Tesla is still the world's most valuable carmaker, despite accounting for just 2.5 percent of global vehicles sold last year. But Musk's foray into politics—including a Nazi-like salute executed during President Donald Trump's inauguration, and a months-long stint as the face of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency—seems to have shifted consumer feelings about Tesla, especially around a former key demographic of affluent liberals. An EVIR survey from earlier this year found that Tesla is now the only EV brand with a negative consumer perception. This spring, Tesla deliveries dropped 13.5 percent. Self-driving tech, and the artificial intelligence and robotics breakthroughs underlying it, was meant to be part of Tesla's salvation. 'Really, we should be thought of as an AI robotics company,' Musk told investors in April. 'If you value Tesla as just an auto company … fundamentally, that's just the wrong framework. If somebody doesn't believe Tesla is going to solve autonomy, I think they should not be an investor in the company.' He's said that work in those areas could make Tesla 'the most valuable company in the world by far.' But a long-promised robotaxi service launch in Austin didn't go entirely to script. Musk initially said no one other than the customer would be inside the self-driving Teslas, but the automaker installed human safety operators in the front passenger seat of each car to intervene when the tech fails. The service isn't yet open to the public; only invited users, initially Tesla influencers popular on Musk's X platform, have access to robotaxis. Tech bloopers captured by those riders, including an incident in which a robotaxi briefly crossed a double-yellow line to drive into the oncoming lane of traffic, attracted the notice of federal regulators; a spokesperson for the National Highway Traffic Administration told WIRED last month that the agency is looking into the tech. And the launch itself was small, using just a handful of cars in a limited part of the city. (Tesla expanded the service area in Austin last week; in a brazen, puckish flourish typical of Musk and Tesla, the new map resembles a phallus.) Still, Musk has said his tech will roll out rapidly and that there will be 'millions of Teslas operating autonomously' in the second half of 2026. EVIR also polled 4,100 consumers with investment exposure to Tesla and found that 61 percent believe Musk should 'focus on his businesses instead of risking his reputation with government-related activities." If US consumers can't get onboard with Tesla robotaxis, the fallout might have implications for the entire autonomous vehicle industry. As with any new technology, a safety misstep by one industry player might affect all of them. The queasy consumer feelings about robotaxis could hardly come at a worse time: After years of over-promising and underdelivering, many Western tech developers are finally getting their self-driving tech on the roads. Alphabet's Waymo is picking up paying passengers in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, and Atlanta; Amazon's Zoox says it will launch in Las Vegas this year; Lyft and the tech developer May Mobillity say they'll start picking up passengers in Atlanta this year; Uber and the British company Wayve say they're working to start self-driving service in London at some point after the second half of 2027. In a written statement, May Mobility COO Kathy Winter called surveys finding low public trust and interest in robotaxis 'simply an artifact of low exposure to a new technology.' 'The superior convenience and safety [autonomous vehicles] provide are game changers for even the most skeptical first-time riders,' she wrote. Waymo and Zoox didn't respond to WIRED's requests for comment. China, meanwhile, seems to be racing ahead in self-driving taxis. Baidu's Apollo Go says it has completed 11 million rides—at the time, more than Waymo's 10 million—in cities all over China; rivals WeRide and operate in five and four cities, respectively.
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Chinese carmaker close to clearing big obstacle to autonomous driving
Autonomous driving is apparently the wave of the future, even if U.S. drivers do not really trust the technology. Assisted driving tech has been around for at least two decades, and Americans seem fine with that. But autonomous driving is in a different lane, and Americans are skeptical. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter "Consumers are skeptical of the full self-driving (FSD) technology that undergirds the robotaxi proposition, with 60% considering Tesla's full self-driving 'unsafe,' 77% unwilling to utilize full self-driving technology, and a substantial share (48%) believing full self-driving should be illegal," said the May 2025 edition of the Electric Vehicle Intelligence Report (EVIR). California, frequently at the forefront of many technological innovations, has become a hub for AV testing, but citizens there have demanded heavy guardrails. Nearly 80% of California voters support requiring a human safety operator in self-driving trucks and delivery vehicles, and just 33% of voters express a favorable general impression of autonomous vehicles. Related: Tesla faces its most serious court battle in years But there are levels to autonomous vehicles ranging from 0-5, according to the Society of Automotive Engineers. Level 0 represents no automation, while Level 5 represents full automation with no human intervention at all. The assisted driving systems Americans have been using for 20 years represent Level 1, where the vehicle can assist with steering or acceleration/deceleration but not both at the same time. Level 2 vehicles can control both steering and velocity at the same time. Americans are also pretty familiar with this level. Tesla Full Self Driving is L2 autonomous. But Level 3 is where things get tricky, especially for legal reasons. One Chinese carmaker seems willing to invest in AV tech. Image source: Zhang Congyu/VCG via Getty Images Level 3 is where the true autonomous driving magic occurs. "The transition from SAE level 2+ to level 3 is a significant one. While many level 2+ systems have proven popular and, for the most part, effective, level 3 vehicles mean that, in some situations, eyes can be taken off the road," a new research report from IDTechEx says. The "eyes taken off the road" part is crucial because at that point, the driver is officially no longer in control of the vehicle; the vehicle's software is. So if an accident happens while the "driver" of an L3 or above vehicle is operating, who really is at fault? "Generally, this would result in the accountability of any accident occurring while level 3 is operational falling onto the manufacturer, not the driver. As a result, the overall reliability, defined by both the hardware and software, has to be much greater," the report states. Tesla has been sued multiple times over fatal mistakes that drivers say FSD has made. Each time, Tesla has argued it was the driver's fault. Related: Unprecedented BYD assisted driving offer puts competition on notice If Tesla ever wants to reach L3 autonomous driving, that excuse won't fly anymore. Chinese rival BYD seems more than ready to take on the responsibility. Earlier this month, BYD debuted a smart parking feature that allows the vehicle to achieve Level 4 autonomy. Level 4 autonomy, as defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers, is the second highest available level of autonomy. In layman's terms, BYD vehicles equipped with the highest assisted driving packages will be able to park themselves. But most interestingly, regarding the latest upgrade, BYD promises to pay for any accidents caused by autonomous parking. Rather than going through their insurance companies, BYD drivers using the tech can file a claim with BYD's after-sales team if something goes wrong. Earlier in July, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida heard opening arguments in a lawsuit filed against Tesla by the family of Naibel Benavides, who was killed in 2019 by a runaway Tesla that had FSD engaged. The vehicle, driven by George Brian McGee, sped through a T intersection at 62 miles per hour and T-boned an empty parked car. The parked car's owners were standing outside the vehicle when they were struck. Benavides, 22, was killed in the crash, and her body was found flung about 75 feet from the crash site. Dillon Angulo, her boyfriend, survived the crash but was left with a severe concussion and multiple broken bones. Like other cases involving FSD in the past, Tesla blames the crash on driver error. "The evidence clearly shows that this crash had nothing to do with Tesla's Autopilot technology,'' Tesla said in a statement to Bloomberg. L3+ driving would allow the person who crashed, who reportedly dropped his cellphone and was searching for it on the ground when the crash occurred, to blame Tesla. But Tesla has not reached the level of automation that would make it responsible for a driver who took his eyes off the road. Related: Alphabet's Waymo flexes on Tesla Robotaxi with latest update The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Miami Herald
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Tesla has late start in a crucial race for its future
Robotaxis are coming to a city street near you, whether you like it or not. According to recent surveys, the majority of Americans are not very fond of autonomous 4,000-pound vehicles ambling down their streets. "Consumers are skeptical of the full self-driving (FSD) technology that undergirds the robotaxi proposition, with 60% considering Tesla's full self-driving 'unsafe,' 77% unwilling to utilize full self-driving technology, and a substantial share (48%) believing full self-driving should be illegal," according to the May 2025 edition of the Electric Vehicle Intelligence Report (EVIR). Related: Tesla makes surprising admission about its robotaxi But not every robotaxi is operated by Tesla. Even though it's the most high-profile robotaxi operator, Tesla is actually late to the autonomous-driving party. There are companies, both in America and abroad, with millions of miles and thousands of hours under their belts. When Ford CEO Jim Farley recently said that U.S. tech companies passed on becoming carmakers, he was not technically correct. While they don't plan to enter the industry in a way that would be threatening to a company like Ford, Alphabet's (GOOGL) Waymo is the Silicon Valley giant's biggest bite at the apple. Waymo One users register over a quarter of a million paid weekly trips across Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin, with plans to expand to Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, D.C., in 2026. Waymo's current fleet features over 1,500 vehicles spread across its four current host cities, but by next year, it expects to more than double its fleet with more than 2,000 new additions. The company is relying on a new, 239,000-square-foot factory outside Phoenix in Mesa, Arizona, to integrate thousands of Jaguar I-PACE vehicles with Waymo's fully autonomous technology. The factory is a joint venture between Waymo and mobile tech company Magna International. Image source: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images Amazon acquired the autonomous vehicle company Zoox in 2020. And for over a decade, Zoox has been building an autonomous vehicle designed to stand out from others on the road. There's a reason the rectangular glass-paneled Zoox robotaxi looks so weird. Besides the vehicles' lack of steering wheels, perhaps the most interesting Zoox feature is its two-engine design. Zoox calls its vehicles bidirectional, meaning there is no forward or reverse, because both directions are forward. The two motors at different ends of the car allow it to drive forward in two directions. Unlike Tesla (TSLA) , which has said it doesn't use the technology because it's too expensive, both Waymo and Zoox utilize light detection and ranging (LiDAR) to navigate traffic autonomously. Related: Elon Musk's robotaxi has a serious problem LiDAR uses lasers to measure distances and create highly detailed 3D models of its surroundings. Zoox uses this tech, along with cameras, radar, long-wave infrared sensors, and microphones, to map the traffic around it. Morgan Stanley says Zoox is still a couple of years behind Waymo, as Waymo is already in more than five cities, while Zoox is still in just two. But Morgan Stanley sees the company taking a similar route as its more established rival as production ramps up for the company. Currently, Zoox has only a few dozen purpose-built robotaxis on the road, and the Hayward facility produces only one vehicle per day. Still, the firm expects that number to increase exponentially as it expands to more cities. Zoox has over one million miles driven in company. Morgan Stanley expects Zoox to launch in Las Vegas and San Francisco by the end of the year. Tesla robotaxi launched in Austin, Texas, in late June, to much fanfare. Tesla has just 10 robotaxis on the street in Austin. It also has ambitions to expand to different locales, but its debut has gotten off to a rocky start. Multiple videos have appeared on social media showing the vehicles failing to achieve the basic road competence of a student driver. Tesla Robotaxi may not have the miles under its belt that its competition does, but it does have a scale advantage. Earlier this year, Tesla said that its FSD system has driven a cumulative total of 3.6 billion miles, nearly triple the 1.3 billion cumulative miles it reported a year ago. Related: Latest Waymo setback raises serious questions about its future The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
