Suspicious Tesla Sales Surge Triggers Canadian Government Investigation

[Terr_]

[Recycled comment from another submission]

Very suspicious. (Dare I say "Concerning"? :p) From another source with a bit more context for those numbers:

> Tesla’s Canadian stores are company-owned and directly controlled by the company. [...] Four Tesla stores in Canada each sold an average of 30 cars per hour, amounting to 120 cars per hour across all four locations—essentially one car every minute, 24 hours a day… for three straight days. And yes, this includes hours when the stores were closed.

> Tesla’s $43.1 million in rebates took up more than half of the cash left allotted for EV subsidies remaining. That meant that by the time some other dealers attempted to get their own subsidies, the money had run out. [...] 226 [non-Tesla] dealerships submitted rebate claims for 2,295 electric vehicles but still haven’t been reimbursed, leaving them collectively out by C$10 million.

-- https://www.carscoops.com/2025/03/tesla-accused-of-gaming-ca...

[somerandomqaguy]

We'll have to see. There's ways to pull this off while still operating within the letter of the law. And if they did so, then there's little that can be down to get it back. Worst would happen short of federal tariffs on Tesla products is that if the iZEV resumes, they're taken off the list of illegible vehicles.

[anonfordays]

Tesla does not sell vehicles at their "dealerships." Tesla is 100% online orders, you are not able to place an order at their showrooms with the staff. The showrooms double as delivery centers for entire regions. 30 cars per hour across a 100 mile radius as the EV subsidy is expiring is not impossible. Tesla does not collect the subsidies, the owners do.

This is only "suspicious" because it's fake news.

[iJohnDoe]

Did they just funnel and move cars through the Canada based dealerships that were for sales in other parts of the world? Does Tesla normally sell that many cars in three days?

[HarHarVeryFunny]

> One Tesla location in Toronto reported more than 1,200 sales on January 11 alone, accounting for $4 million in [Canadian government] rebates.

Sounds like Musk being a dick - sticking it to Canada to please/amuse his boss.

[throwaway5752]

This is a very internet take. Being a dick is personal behavior. Falsifying sales records to receive rebates is criminal fraud, regardless of how nicely you do so.

[chgs]

I’d data analysts is good enough to fire people and close departments it’s good enough to stop payments to an enemy.

[Terr_]

I'm having trouble parsing your comment.

The most-charitable formulation I can can come up with is something like:

"We know Musk already possesses a personal staff of unscrupulous geeks and likes to illegally stop payments. Therefore it is likely they were engaged in payment fraud here too, where the "enemy" Canadian government is hurt by stolen funds, and "enemy" car-competitors are hurt by the rebate pool being suddenly empty."

[turnsout]

They're running scared and trying everything. This stock is going back to $15

[thatguy0900]

Why not go for one last government grift before you get kicked out of the country for spearheading efforts to start a war, I suppose