FRANKFURT (Reuters) – German drugstore chain Rossmann said on Tuesday it would no longer buy Tesla cars for its corporate fleet because of Chief Executive Elon Musk’s support for U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
The pharmacy chain, one of Europe’s largest, said its decision took immediate effect and was due to what it called a “misalignment” between Musk’s statements and the values Tesla stands for.
“Elon Musk makes no secret of his support for Donald Trump,” said Raul Rossman, son of the founder of Rossman. “Trump has repeatedly called climate change a hoax — a stance that stands in stark contrast to Tesla’s mission to help protect the environment through electric vehicles.”
There was no immediate comment from Musk, Tesla or the Trump campaign.
Musk’s stance on issues has in the past led companies to drop their advertising on social media platform X, drawing a strong rebuke from the billionaire.
Rossmann, which has more than 62,000 employees and more than 4,700 stores in Germany and other European countries, said it would continue to use Tesla cars it already owns “for reasons of sustainability and resource conservation.”
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the size of its corporate fleet or how many Teslas it uses. Bloomberg reported that the company has 34 Teslas out of its 800 vehicles.
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