Not only did Tesla have a significant first-mover (or, maybe, fast-follower) advantage with electric cars, the company also collected a fiercely loyal set of buyers. This presented a real challenge for luxury brands as Tesla was mostly taking buyers from them and not giving them back. This was going to inevitably change as more electric cars entered the market, but the collapse of Tesla’s loyalty in the United States is the clearest sign yet of the damage Elon Musk has done to his brand.
The Morning Dump today will be all about second chances. One company that’s taken advantage of Tesla’s fall from grace has been General Motors. Don’t get it twisted, while GM will keep making electric cars, it’s shifting at least one plant in the United States from the production of EVs to gas-powered trucks. Ford is finally going to be building more cars in Europe again that aren’t just, you know, weird Volkswagens.
Renault has been the exception to the rule for mainstream European automakers, but the good times only last for so long.
Tesla Is Really Jack Pardee-ing It
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Do you want to relive some trauma with me? I don’t remember my dad crying a lot, though I’ll never forget the time on January 3rd, 1993, when the Houston Oilers blew a 35-3 lead in the third quarter of the AFC Championship to miss their spot in the Super Bowl to play the vile (to us) Dallas Cowboys. Some call this game “The Comeback,” though I’ll always think of it as “The Choke.”
I remembered this while looking at the LexisNexis Risk Solutions Brand Loyalty report, which looks at automotive brand loyalty. For years, no one has been even close to Tesla. The pandemic-related disruptions impacted most automakers as traditionally loyal buyers were happy to be able to take anything that was available.
Prior to the pandemic, slightly more than half of buyers (54.3%) were likely to trade their car for another from the same brand. That number dipped below 50% during the pandemic and has, finally, climbed back to close to normal through the first half of the year (53.3%).
There are two standouts in this report. The first is Toyota, which is now the most loyal brand through the first half of 2025, with 65.9% of buyers coming back to the brand. This is helped greatly by the RAV-4, with a brand loyalty of 69.4%. Once you go RAV-4 you never go back, I guess.
Tesla, though, has gone quickly in the other direction:
Tesla, for example, was in the number one position in 2024 with 60.9% brand loyalty. In the first half of 2025, Tesla has fallen to 7th with a rate of 54.2%. Tesla owners disposing of and replacing their Tesla vehicle with another electric vehicle have historically stayed loyal to Tesla 88% of the time. Those same owners are now only 75% loyal, increasingly choosing competitive electric vehicles from other brands.
This is helpful data. There was always some inevitability to Tesla losing market share as other companies caught up, and that has somewhat clouded the discussion over how much Elon Musk’s foray into politics was hurting the brand in the United States (it’s obviously happening in Europe).
The rapid speed with which Tesla has descended from God-tier loyalty to basically being like any other car company has no other real explanation at this point. A slow descent was what everyone had expected, and this is anything but slow. And, as the numbers show, it’s not just people deciding to buy a non-EV; the company is also losing traction with people who decide to buy another EV.
I’m anxious to see the earnings report from Tesla later this month.
And what about EVs in general? From the same report:
U.S. consumers are transitioning more slowly to electric vehicles than expected. At the same time, automakers are suffering from future unpredictability, plagued by policy changes at the federal level, emissions standards, the rollback of incentives, and governmental regulations. Consumers who remain brand loyal may elect to stay with an internal combustion engine over an EV model made by the same brand.
That’s a convenient transition to…
GM’s Orion Plant Is Going To Make ICE Trucks Instead Of EV Trucks
General Motors is adjusting its electrification plans, and, no surprise, this means that the Orion Assembly in Michigan will be shifting towards more future gas-powered truck production instead of, as initially planned, electric truck production. This is likely because the strong market for electric pickups hasn’t particularly materialized, plus the loss of tax credits for cars and a general change in environmental policy in the United States.
What will happen, it seems, is that GM will make the Escalade, Silverado, and Sierra at Orion. This will allow the company to produce more Suburbans/Tahoes/Yukons/Yukons XL at the company’s Arlington Assembly.
So what of all the money the company took to make electric trucks there? According to the Detroit Free Press, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) still thinks the company is generally following the rules and shouldn’t have to give the $480 million in state funds back:
So far, no one has publicly called for GM to return any of the grant money, though the agreement contains provisions that if the company was to violate the terms, the state has the right to claw back the funds, according to GM.
“GM remains in compliance with their incentive agreement and we’re grateful for their continued commitment to creating jobs and investing here in Michigan, whether it be at the Lake Orion facility or at Factory Zero” in Hamtramck and Detroit, Courtney Overbey Martinez, vice president of communications for the Michigan Economic Development Corp., said in a statement.
Well, that’s convenient. Orion does still assemble battery packs for EVs that are built at the company’s Factory Zero facility.
Ford Is Going To Give European Dealers Some Real Cars Again
I got to drive the Ford Puma ST when I was in England, and I loved that little hatchback. I would definitely rock one of those over here, though I doubt I’ll ever get the chance. It’s one of the few Ford cars produced in Europe for Europe, as the company has largely pared down the European-specific offerings.
There’s the Volkswagen-based Ford Capri, but the less we talk about that, the better.
Ford hasn’t given up on Europe yet and, per Automotive News, will start investing again in some real products for the market:
Ford CEO Jim Farley plans to develop new passenger cars in Europe again, dealers were told in a video conference by Christoph Herr, head of the brand in German-speaking countries.
In recent years, U.S. automaker has downsized its passenger car offerings in Europe to focus on its more profitable light commercial vehicles business.
The popular Fiesta small car was dropped, along with the Galaxy and S-Max minivans. The Focus compact car is due to go out of production in the autumn.
You know what deserves a comeback? The freakin’ Escort and the freakin’ Sierra. Make it happen!
Talk About A Bad First Day
When Luca de Meo left Renault as its CEO, he went out on a real high note as the company reported healthy margins and profitability at a time when everyone else in Europe seemed lost.
Maybe his sudden timing isn’t so curious now as Renault gets a new interim CEO in Duncan Minto. Here’s how his first day went, as reported by Automotive News again:
Renault Group’s new interim CEO, finance chief Duncan Minto, found himself explaining a profit warning to analysts on his very first day on the job on July 15.
Investors reacted strongly, with Renault’s share price falling 16 percent on early trading July 16.
It was the group’s first profit warning since former CEO Luca de Meo took over a money-losing automaker in July 2020, and it points to immediate challenges facing Minto and Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard, who will co-direct Renault while it searches for a permanent top executive.
The cut was only from a margin of 7.0% to a margin of 6.5%, so it’s not quite that bad. Still, losing 16% of your value in one day is not great.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
I forgot that this was the Song of the Summer in 2013, or at least one of them. “Rude” by Magic! is definitely an earworm, but it’s also not anything I’d ever actively choose to listen to. The reason why it’s here is because I saw this Instagram reel in which a comedian notes that the song is actually about a Canadian fusion reggae singer being, frankly, politely denied a blessing from an uptight dad. I am Team Dad on this one.
The Big Question
Are you loyal to a brand? Which one?
Photo: Tesla, NBC Sports
Cars? No, unless you count Hot Wheels. But even then I have a fair number of Corgi, Johnny Lightning, and Lesney Matchbox.
The only brand I’m genuinely loyal to is down to one product, Lee Extreme Motion Jeans. Most comfortable freaking jeans I’ve ever owned and the only jeans I’ll wear now.
pretty much the whole Lee Extreme Motion line is great
I’m loyal more to platforms than brands. If I like a platform, I’ll likely stick with it until it’s replaced/gets too fat and isolated, then I’ll re-evaluate my options. Due to the enfattening of models over time, staying loyal to a model isn’t a good way to get more of what I want. Models and segments also get dropped and manufacturers can change their characteristics, so I’m not particularly loyal to them, either, though a good experience does have me consider them at the top of a list. For duplicates, I’ve had 2x S30 Zs, 2x Subaru AM/B, 3x Ford C1, and 2x Subaru SI (Though the name was retroactive to the existing platform in the first case and the GR86 is a development that incorporates some of the newer SGP, but being that they’re 33 years apart, I think it’s fair to expect some change to the platform. Thankfully, the feel is surprisingly similar.).
I’m surprised that GM doesn’t have a hybrid vehicle (E-Ray I know), especially nothing in the Silverado/Sierra lineup. I know EV trucks are not selling well, but what did they think was going to happen with an 85k EV truck. Make a Colorado/Silverado with 75 EV mile range and a range extender for around 60K and I think they would do great.
My family are Honda loyalists (dad sold them), so I started driving Honda/Acura. Once I had to start paying for my own cars I have jumped around to whatever is available that I want (Mercedes, Mazda, BMW, Ford, Chev, Porsche, Lexus). I buy used at the bottom of the depreciation curve though, so the prior owners are a lot more important than the brand.
Motorcycles are a different story, three Suzukis, three Kawasakis, and one Yamaha. It’s about time to sell my Suzuki for another Kawasaki.
It’s hard to be “loyal” when I only buy cars maybe once a decade – the market shifts so much that it may as well be a new company.
But: I did buy two Saturns (’00 SW2 and an ’04 ION 3) because I LIKED that experience.
After buying our Outback in ’11, I was pretty set on Subarus as a general good idea, but now that they’re SUV-izing and butching-up what used to be a pretty servicable wagon, it’s just not that interesting to me anymore.
We bought a minivan in 2017 or so, and that was a Honda out of sheer convenience – Sienna and Odyssey were about on par, and we found an Odyssey cheaper.
Now I’m shopping again and I’m all over the board:
Hyundai Ioniq 5Chevy/GM Colroado/Canyon (somebody had to go buy a travel trailer…)Dodge Charger Daytona (sensible EV and midlife-crisis car all in one shot!)Prius Plugin (since htey finally look nice)Honda Ridgeline (travel trailer, but a LOT more roomy than Colorado/Canyon/Ranger/Maverick)Honda Prologue (some really good used deals on what seems to be a pretty decent car)
For me, when you say loyalty, it means I will support a brand no matter what, even if they royally screw up and cause me to have a terrible experience.
I think of Jets fans when I think of loyalty. That team has been terrible for an eternity and they still have loyal fans that have never seen a winning season. I really wonder why this but the sports world does not make a lot of sense to me.
In this way I don’t think there is a lot of difference between a loyalist and an apologist. If you’re performing mental gymnastics to convince yourself why you need to remain loyal to a brand or product that is not working for you, that is not something I can get behind.
If I have an amazing experience with a brand, from purchase to ownership to service and any sort of problem resolution I will continue to give them my business. I don’t even think everything has to be perfect, usually the most “loyal” I’ve been is to companies that have had a big problem but handled it really well and professionally. But if you screw up I’ll be searching for a new “thing” to replace you.
So I guess no, I’m not loyal by my own definition.
Yeah the sports team loyalty seems like a whole different level to a brand loyalty. I am in a fantasy football league which has a Jets fan, a Browns fan, and a Packers fan. The group chat is always entertaining as the highs, lows, and lower lows hit throughout the season (and frequently even in the offseason.)
My sports loyalty is really limited to just my alma mater and has never translated to pro sports although I do try to follow players when they graduate or go pro.
It’s an interesting topic to me from a sociological perspective. How is it that so many of us find ourselves rooting for a team that is a privately owned business just because they are based in a city where we live or used to live? Where does that come from?
I know the theories around building community and all that, and I’m sure it just starts at a young age where we root for our school starting in… middle school I guess? Really taking off in high school. Pro sports is a natural evolution I guess but we’re talking about adults who live their lives around the schedule of a team in their town, or a school in your case. I know people that went to Clemson (I’m in the Atlanta area and we get a lot of Clemson grads in the job market here) that tell you they do not make plans for the season because they’re either traveling to the school for home games or parked in front of the TV for away games. I don’t get it but at least in that case, and your case, there is a connection made to the school beyond random chance of where you grew up.
Pro team loyalty is weird. It’s a company built to entertain you that is for profit and a privately owned business. If they don’t put out a good product you approve of and you still support them, where is the incentive for them to get better?
Yeah it helps that I am a pretty casual fan – I certainly don’t have my identity wrapped up with the success or failures of any specific team. Fantasy football has really increased my enjoyment of the NFL because depending on who I draft that year I end up following different teams and because I am in a keeper league there are a few guys I get invested in and will follow for a few years in a row. I don’t have to worry about what game is on in my area or schedule my life around a specific game because whatever is on there will be someone in almost every game I want to root for (or against) on a player level.
It’s a good point. Fantasy football has vastly broadened the manner in which people watch the games for real.
The simple answer is it’s just fun to watch a game and root for your team. It’s even more fun with like minded friends to share the experience with.
Sports fandom is incomprehensible to me.
I’m not brand loyal, but I’m Japanese loyal. Honda, Honda, Mazda, Toyota, Nissan and Subaru. And Ford, if you’re listening, only one has been recalled (Takata air bags, changed in my driveway in less than 20 minutes).
Loyal to Buell motorcycles and Datsun/Nissan 1/4T pickups with 6′ beds. Also the Logitech H800 headset. You see where this is going…
Thinking back to all my cars in chronological order….
1986 Ford Tempo
1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse
2000 Honda S2000
1991 Honda Civic Wagon
1987 Mitsubishi Starion
2003 Audi A4
2021 Mazda CX-30
2005 Honda Civic Si
Maybe Honda? And well, not a brand but I’m definitely loyal to the manual transmission. Only the Tempo (hand me down first car) and the CX-30 (not offered) are autos.
This was the last NFL game I watched. I realized I didn’t really care about football and this game was just the icing on the cake. My dad was a fan of the Oilers up until they left for Tennessee. Then he switched the South Oklahoma Cowpersons.
They lost me when that Mercury dealer with the bad rug had the refs call off the Chargers pre season game “for field conditions.” Somebody had given me some tickets, but we never made it inside because by the time we got there fashionably late we were surprised to see a bunch of people milling around the parking lot, and then learned that the game hadn’t even started yet.
I’m not really brand-loyal, although I’ve owned more GM than anything else. A couple of FCA, the last of which has put me off anything from Stellantis for a long time, a Toyota, and a Honda. Love the Toyota, but after sitting in some of their new stuff I don’t think I can buy anything current from them. I don’t fit, even in something like a Rav4.
My shopping strategy is to check out everything in the segment and go with whatever seems like the best fit. Up to now that’s been a different brand pretty much every time.
The only brand I’ve had repeats of is Honda, now at 3. Anecdotally it seems to be the brand most of my peers would be most likely to buy again too. I wouldn’t call myself brand loyal even though I do like their products. If you don’t have the right/compelling product I want at the time, I’m not going to compromise.
Growing up my family was somewhat repeat GM, but the only repeat brand was Saturn and that was more dealer loyalty. Never Saturn-only though and my father said a couple times in the later Saturn years, an equivalent Chevy was not out of the question for the price either. There’s been some repeat Kias but that’s also more right product/right time.
The experience with a dealer can make or break the experience with an entire brand. Potentially some of that with Tesla’s drop too – after gaining so many buyers, maybe people find issue with the ownership and service experience compared to a traditional brand.
One quirk I noticed in extended family over the years: seemed like households that were largely GM or largely Ford would sometimes dabble with Chryslers, but rarely a GM-Ford switch.
Are you loyal to a brand? Which one?
motorcycles: yes 4th bmw “R”, only brand i’ve ever owned.
tires: yes, but… we’d been a michelin family for many years, but most recent set i went with continental. thinking of dunlop for next set on motorcycle…
cars: not so much
plymouth (3)
ford (2)
chevy (2)
dodge (1)
jeep (1)
subaru (1)
mazda (1)
honda (1)
hyundai (1)
renault (1)
vw (1)
mercedes benz (1)
Had 3 Mopars, 1997 Dakota, 2006 Charger Daytona R/T and 2013 Ram 2500. The Ram has put me off Mopar. The TIPM blew out on mine, $1200 fix, then the entire power steering system grenaded itself.
Astro-Physics telescopes. Typical wait time is about 20 years.
https://www.astro-physics.com/
Import loyalist here:
2006 3 series
2008 M3
2011 5 series
2014 Ford Transit Connect (made in Turkey)
2018 Lexus RXL
2018 Lexus RXL (because some jabroni ran the red light and totaled the above)
2021 Audi A6 Allroad
and finally
2025 Polestar 3–built in SC!!! USA USA USA
I try not to be loyal to companies, since that is a one-way street. “I’m loyal AND I’m giving you my money!”
I have preferences (price, quality, etc.), and I have a blacklist.
Toyota loyal here.
I was a big VW fan, I’ve got a 72 Super Beetle and a 2014 Sportwagen TDI currently. Before the wagon I had a CC and before that a GTI. I’ve learned to put up with German car foibles, but my CC’s engine needed replacement at 120k miles despite my religious maintenance. It soured me so much I traded it in as-is on the Sportwagen. I would have a hard time trusting one of their 2.0T gas engines again.
But that doesn’t matter, because there isn’t anything they sell in the US that I want. I like the GTI and Golf R well enough but am also irrationally attached to manual transmissions, having owned nothing but manuals. It’s especially insulting when many GTI competitors still offer a manual. Plus, it sounds like they still have reliability issues that I would not want to deal with on a new car. Not to mention the haptic feedback hell of their interiors.
I was a Jeep loyalist for a long time, but the last two I owned have soured me on the brand. If I ever buy one again, it won’t be anything made in the last 20 years.
I’d say Honda has my loyalty at this point- I’ve owned/bought more of those than anything else. GM would be second because both my Canyons were great trucks and I’d buy another one again without thought.
A friend’s parents were at the Great Comeback game. They had left the stadium, disgusted after the half. Listening to the game on the radio on the way back home, they decided to turn the car around and go back in. Fans that had left the stadium ended up breaking down fences and security essentially let them back in to watch the second half.
That reminds me of a friend who went to a Cubs game in the early 2000’s, the Cubs were down like 11-0 after 2 or something like that, so they left. When he got home he heard the Cubs had ended up winning, it was a pretty famous game.
My wife also made me leave a Blackhawks game early once, only like a minute to go and the ‘Hawks were down by 3 anyway. When we were in the concours we heard the roar from the opposing goalie scoring from across the ice, which has only happened like six times in NHL history. I looked at her and said, “See, this is why I never leave early.”
I had the opposite experience. I’d spent the weekend with a friend in Dallas, and more friends came over for a fine afternoon of football. The plan was to start with the Oilers game, then I would head back to Houston at the half and listen to the rest on the radio while the homies would then switch over to watch the Cowpokes. Halftime comes, and I sadly announce that I’ve got to stay and watch the certain carnage. The Dallasites were all aghast, erupting in variations of “how can you say that about Your Team???” to which I soberly replied, “experience.” Being right was painful that day.
Oh, and I’ve had a half dozen BMWs over the years, with the current crop being a K75c that I bought new, a Z3, and a 135i, both of which were CPOs with less than 10K when I picked them up.
“. They had left the stadium, disgusted after the half. ”
I don’t understand why people leave early. Well actually I do, but it doesn’t jibe with my world view.
If I paid good money to go to a game, I’m gonna see it through right to the end no matter what. I wanna get my money’s worth and the full experience even if ‘my side’ loses. And there still might be some memorable things I’ll miss out on if I leave early.
“leave early so I can beat the crowd”
Why go out at all if you’re so worried about crowds?
Leaving early to beat the crowds is so weird.
There are two brands in the comments that stand out:
Honda and GM
I agree.
Toyota seems in 3rd place, also agree.
I’m a Browns fan first and Bills second…this was such a fun era for the team and have been a fan since.
Just one correction on the comeback…it was in the first round not AFC championship.
with respect to loyalty, we’ve predominantly been a Toyota extended family for decades, with a smattering of Mazdas, Nissans, and an Eclipse GSX mixed in. But the last 10 years I think it’s mostly been Honda/Acura. Just sort of worked out that. So my driveway looks like I love Honda, but my heart is with Toyota.
On brand loyalty, I’m with a few others in the group, where I am more likely to avoid a brand because of ownership/decision making. Think Tesla or Brew Dog (even if they’re operating right in my back yard).
However, when I see brands that align with my values, and are doing good things in parts of my life I’m interested in, I’ll do what I can to support. The Autopian is the obvious example here. Also, the only company I’ve taken the time to support via Patreon is Trash Panda. It helps that ownership of both of these companies seem like guys I want to have a beer with!
I tried going through cars I’ve owned and counting up the brands to see if there was a loyalty pattern and I think it’s a no:
Ford: 6
Chevy: 6
Mazda: 3
Subaru: 3
Pontiac: 2
Oldsmobile: 1
Toyota: 1
Dodge: 1
Triumph: 1
Hmmm. My history makes it look like I really favour 1 brand. However, 3 of those Jeeps were farm beaters and I currently only have 2 Jeeps.
Chevy: 1
Jeep: 7
Honda: 1
Subaru: 1
MG: 1