SYDNEY, March 12 (Reuters) - When Australian Dick Friend

bought a Tesla in 2015, he was so impressed with its

environmental credentials and performance that he and his wife

bought two more of the electric vehicles, plus shares in the

Elon Musk-led company.

Now, however, he is selling his Tesla stock and will not

replace one of his cars, wrecked in an accident last year,

citing his objections to Musk's right-wing tilt and his growing

role in the administration of Donald Trump.

"The cars are brilliant, but we don't like the direction of

the owner and we're voting with our feet," said Friend, who

splits time between homes in Hobart and Melbourne.

Tesla sales in the four months since Trump's election were

down 35% compared with the same time last year, according to

data from Australia's Electric Vehicle Council, with a spate of

vandalism in Australia and New Zealand over the last week also

adding to evidence of contagion from Musk's role in the Trump

administration.

A spokesperson for Tesla did not immediately respond to a

request for comment.

Tesla sales in the country were already down slightly before

Trump's victory, with total sales in 2024 17% lower than a year

earlier, in line with weaker sales globally.

Sales in Europe have also fallen amid Musk's support for

far-right parties in Europe, Reuters reported last week.

Tesla cars and dealerships in Australia and New Zealand have

been vandalised in the last week, echoing protests in the U.S.

Trump said on Tuesday violence against Tesla dealerships

would be labelled domestic terrorism, as he appeared with Musk

at the White House to select a new Tesla for his staff to use.

In the Australian state of Tasmania, a Tesla dealership was

vandalised last week, with graffiti calling Musk a Nazi.

A spokesperson for Tasmania's state police said the force

was aware of the incident and was seeking further information.

In a Facebook group for Tesla owners in Australia, several

posters said their cars had been vandalised in recent months.

"We've had our Tesla Model Y for 2.5 years, and over the

past six months, we've experienced increasing hostility on the

roads," one poster said, adding she planned to sell her car as

she no longer felt safe. "After speaking with the police, it

seems Teslas are being targeted more frequently."

In neighbouring New Zealand, police said on Wednesday a

52-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday evening in connection

with multiple vandalised Teslas in Auckland.

Declines in Tesla sales in New Zealand over the last year

mirror those of the electric vehicle sector more broadly,

according to data from the Motor Industry of New Zealand,

following the removal of government subsides.