Overview

• Cansel Kiziltepe, Berlin's work senator, labeled Tesla vehicles as 'Nazi-Autos' in a now-deleted post on X, sparking widespread condemnation.
• Brandenburg officials, including Minister Daniel Keller, demanded an apology, calling the comparison historically unacceptable and harmful to Tesla's workforce.
• Kiziltepe defended her stance, attributing Tesla's sales decline to customer backlash against Elon Musk's far-right affiliations, while clarifying she does not blame Tesla employees or customers.
• SPD leaders and coalition partners criticized her use of Nazi analogies, emphasizing the need for careful rhetoric, given Tesla's economic importance in the Berlin-Brandenburg region.
• Brandenburg CDU leader Jan Redmann and others have called for Kiziltepe's dismissal, citing the risk her remarks pose to regional jobs and intergovernmental relations.