by Tesla will no longer be represented at the Vancouver Auto Show this month. Event organizers have decided that the brand has come to represent a security threat following protests. Tesla was removed after failing to act on multiple opportunities to retract. The latest wave of attacks on Tesla continues to have a negative impact on the automaker’s business. Organizers of this month’s Vancouver Auto Show announced yesterday that they are removing the Electric Vehicle brand from the lineup due to safety issues.
It seems that show organizers were concerned that the presence of Tesla cars at the event, which begins today, could attract angry protests and more vandalism. Deciding that they wanted Tesla to leave, VIAK gave the brand several opportunities to exit on their own terms but refused. Thus, with Tesla cars already set up in the Vancouver Convention Center ready for viewing by the expected 130,000 visitors, organizers chose the nuclear option just a day before the show’s opening. “The Vancouver International Auto Show has removed Tesla… after the automaker was given several opportunities to voluntarily withdraw,” said Eric Nicholl, the auto show’s executive director, as quoted by the Vancouver Sun.
“The main concern of the Vancouver Auto Show is the safety of participants, exhibitors, and staff.”
Photos taken show the Cybertruck, Model 3, and updated inside the exhibition hall. Show guests must now limit themselves to nearly 200 other cars from other brands, including GM, Ford, and Toyota, which will remain in place. VIAK has already received criticism for allowing Tesla’s cars to be displayed due to CEO Elon Musk’s close relationships with U.S. President Donald Trump, who imposed tariffs on goods imported from Canada. Like Trump, Musk also questioned Canada’s sovereignty.
Shareholders and Tesla dealerships across the U.S. have been targeted with protests from those outraged by Musk’s work for Trump, leading to job losses for thousands of federal workers. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi called the perpetrators domestic terrorists and promised “severe consequences” for anyone found guilty of crimes against Tesla.
