Kia takes a savage dig at Elon Musk with EV3 sticker: ‘I bought this after Elon went crazy’

Kia Norway has taken a dig at Tesla CEO Elon Musk with a viral Instagram post that taps into the growing trend of anti-Musk stickers

Updated on: Mar 10, 2025, 09:29:50 IST

By Sanya Jain

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Kia Norway has taken a dig at Tesla CEO Elon Musk with a viral Instagram post that taps into the growing trend of anti-Musk stickers. The official Instagram account of Kia Norway recently shared a picture of one of its EV3 electric vehicles sporting a sticker that reads: “I bought this after Elon went crazy.”

Tesla-rival Kia takes a dig at Elon Musk with a car sticker. (Instagram/@kiabilnorge)

The post has sparked much amusement online, coming as it does at a time when Musk’s popularity is at an all-time low among certain sections of the internet. Although Kia’s post was shared in February, it has only recently gained traction online. The South Korean automaker shared the Instagram picture sans caption.

Take a look at the post below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kia Bil Norge AS (@kiabilnorge)

Anti-Musk stickers

Over the past couple of months, stickers criticising Musk have become increasingly popular among Tesla owners who are frustrated with his controversial statements, business decisions and political views.

One entrepreneur told Business Insider that where he was earlier selling only a handful of anti-Musk stickers, their popularity shot up after the Tesla CEO made a Nazi-style salute at a Trump rally in January. Today, the entrepreneur, named Matthew Hiller, is able to sell 400 to 500 stickers a day.

Many of the buyers are Tesla owners who disagree with Musk’s political views but can’t afford to sell their vehicles. Because of this, phrases such as “I bought this before Elon lost it” and “Powered by regret” have been spotted on Teslas across the globe.

Kia vs Tesla

The timing of Kia Norway’s post is no coincidence. The South Korean automaker has been aggressively expanding its electric vehicle lineup, with the EV3 set to compete in the same market segment as Tesla’s Model Y.

Kia’s Instagram post has reached X and Reddit over the last few days, sparking amusement among Musk detractors.

“My respect for Kia just went through space,” read one comment on Reddit. “Here in Austin there are Teslas everywhere. Now I’m seeing bumper stickers on them with varying messages but they boil down to ‘Bought the car before I knew Elon sucks,’” another Reddit user revealed.

(Also read: Tesla showroom set on fire, 12 cars destroyed in suspected arson attack in France)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sanya Jain
Sanya Jain is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Digital. She has nearly a decade of experience in covering offbeat stories that speak to the everyday experience -- from viral videos to human interest copies that spark a conversation. Her interests stretch across business, pop culture, social media trends, entertainment and global affairs. Before joining Hindustan Times, Sanya spent two years with Moneycontrol and five years with NDTV. She holds an undergraduate degree in English literature from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and a master’s in journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai. Sanya has a sharp eye for spotting emerging trends and finding newsworthy angles in viral content. She writes about a wide range of topics, from business leaders and social issues to everyday people and internet trends. She enjoys speaking to content creators, newsmakers and entrepreneurs and turning their experiences and stories into engaging, relatable articles.Read More

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