Elon Musk 'Heil Tesla': Billionaire's salute projected onto German factory as new car model Y to launch in UK - first look at new vehicle
Elon Musk's controversial salute has been projected onto a Tesla factory in Germany - just as it has been announced that a new car model will launch in the UK.
The gesture made by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk on Monday (20 January), during his speech at US President Donald Trump's inauguration, drew comparisons to the Nazi salute - a claim that Musk has rejected. Musk shocked many - including those watching at Washington DC's Capital One Arena - when he put his hand on his chest, then stretched out his arm with an open hand.
To many it appeared Musk had performed a fascist salute - familiar to most from their use by the Nazis in reverence to Adolf Hitler. Many interpreted it as resembling the Nazi "Sieg Heil" salute.
He posted the video of his speech on X, formerly Twitter, with one user responding saying: “That was definitely a Nazi salute. Big fan of Tesla. Skeptical of Elon. But that was the most awkward thing I’ve seen no matter how excited he was”.
Left-wing activists have now beamed a massive image of Elon Musk's infamous raised-arm salute and the word 'Heil' on to Tesla's Berlin factory. The image was beamed onto the factory on Wednesday night (22 January). A video showing Musk's tweets in support of Germany's far-right Alternative Fur Deutschland party were also displayed on the nine-meter-tall factory.
UK activism group Led By Donkeys and Germany's Centre for Political Beauty were behind the late night protest. Led By Donkeys shared a picture of the projection on Instagram after pulling the stunt.
“The world's richest man, Elon Musk, is promoting the far right in Europe. Don't buy @teslamotors”, it said. The Tesla factory in the German capital has become a site for protests. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the plant last year in protest over the factory's expansion plans, which involve cutting down half a million trees.
The protest comes as the new Tesla model Y has launched in the UK. Touted to arrive in April, the revised crossover will be sold initially in Launch Series trim only, which features all-wheel drive and a long- range battery. It offers a 353-mile WLTP range and a 0-60mph time of 4.1sec.
It will be priced from £60,990. Tesla says the new look has been conceived to "maximise efficiency, using every kilowatt-hour more effectively". The car's drag coefficient (Cd) is said to have been reduced from 0.23 to 0.22, keeping it as one of the market's slipperiest cars. This should boost range and reduce wind noise.
The revised Model Y is also 47mm longer than the current car, at 4797mm, but a scant 1mm narrower, at 1624mm wide. There is now a touchscreen in the rear and the back seats fold electrically. The fronts are now ventilated too and can be upholstered in new fabrics that "make you relax as if you are floating in space", according to Tesla.