r/pics 23d ago

Politics Tesla owners rebrand their vehicles to distance themselves from Trump

66.7k Upvotes

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12.2k

u/bocamoccajoe 23d ago

That Mazda badge is wild how well it works

5.0k

u/VariableBooleans 23d ago

Tesla chief design architect worked at Mazda originally.

1.6k

u/ubutterscotchpine 23d ago

I was going to say, I wouldn’t even question the Mazda.

1.2k

u/introspectivejoker 23d ago

Cybertruck : "you wouldn't question me either... Right guys?"

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u/Pudi2000 23d ago

Paint it red and slap a Pontiac Aztec signage.

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u/MlleHoneyMitten 23d ago

The Aztec is the only car I can think of that got anywhere near as much hate! I looked them up, and honestly they pretty much look like any other compact SUV these days. But I remember thinking they were so stupid looking. The Cybertruck will forever be a disgrace though.

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u/b1200dat 23d ago

The Chrysler PT cruiser is definitely up there too!

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u/PaintshakerBaby 23d ago

My girlfriends parents gifted her a PT Cruiser for graduation. We called it Sir PT Cruise Alot.

We took really good care of it, but the engine randomly siezed at 170k. We had it towed to a chryslet dealership. A mechanic was looking it over and popped in the drivers seat to get the milage.

He said, "no way," and called the other mechanics over. A few came out of the woodwork and proceeded to marvel at the odometer like it was a unicorn.

I said, "I know. Can't believe it blew up before 200k."

One of them looked at me like I was stupid, explaining, "this is legitimately highest milage PT cruiser we have ever seen blow up... Usually, they are around 90-120k when they roll in here."

Here I was thinking we got the shit end of the stick, when I guess we were actually really lucky??

Yay, Chrysler!

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u/GoneinaSecondeded 23d ago

230k on my PT. I loved that car. I always wished they put a small block v6 in it tho. It was pretty underpowered.

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u/not-good_enough 23d ago

And had the turning radius of a freight train

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u/PoliticalyUnstable 23d ago

Honestly I didn't hate driving a PT after college. My parents got a good deal on one for me. Felt like driving a little truck thing. But agreed that it was underpowered.

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u/ElfegoBaca 23d ago

When the PT came out it was in high demand. It was unique at the time.

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u/SouthLakeWA 23d ago

Yes, my 50-something boss bought a red one immediately. Not long after, when it started becoming popular with a specific female demographic, he said, “it’s a real chick magnet. Not in a good way.”

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u/gsfgf 23d ago

And apparently, the manual version drove well. A buddy test drove one and was ready to buy it until he got out and looked at it again. Instead he got a first gen Mazda 3, and those cars were fucking bulletproof.

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u/1duck 23d ago

Having driven the manual it was a sloppy bag of shit, at least European ones were.

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u/AverageSizeWayne 23d ago

Cybertruck was also high demand. It got over a million preorders. It didn’t deliver what was originally promised.

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u/psychocopter 23d ago

Wasnt it supposed to be like 40k?

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u/Dark-astral-3909 23d ago

Remember the Scion? They were unique enough to warrant their own bumper sticker line. I saw one that said ‘your boyfriend likes my box’. I thought it was hilarious.

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u/Vark675 23d ago

There's a funny reddit thread from ages ago asking what tragedy befell them that caused them to inherit their PT Cruisers and I think my favorite part about it is how many of them genuinely inherited them from dead grandmas lol

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u/Goodknight808 23d ago

I always saw that car and expected 30 clowns to get out like at the circus.

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u/newbreedofdrew 23d ago

As a driver of one, I can confirm lol

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u/m8remotion 23d ago

No, it was disliked for the styling. But not for it's association with narcissistic Nazis.

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u/just-a-random-accnt 23d ago

Ahead of it's time. GM had some great ideas that never caught on until years later.

The big one was their EV1, killed by big oil

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u/gsfgf 23d ago

And the Aztek had an optional tent attachment, which is super trendy now.

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u/Puzzleheaded_Wish725 23d ago

Just said the same thing to a coworker. The Aztec isn't nearly as ugly looking back considering how similar it looks to a modern compact

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u/ConfidentCamp5248 23d ago

Didn’t Walter white drive that model on breaking bad lol

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u/Ratbu 23d ago

They gave Walt an Aztek to emphasize how much of a loser he was

Instead he was able to make people like the car

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u/Pavotine 23d ago

Yeah. After I saw that and kinda liked the car, I looked them up and they have a camping attachment as an extra. So cool.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/f5/6c/d8/f56cd80d443e9cbd4e8c7a7d3460e665--pontiac-aztek-ray-ray.jpg

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u/matt_minderbinder 23d ago

GM was ahead of the crossover curve and they paid the price for it. The Aztec was an ugly vehicle but no more ugly than some other vehicles out there now. I could've gotten a new one for under cost back in the day and probably stupidly didn't. They were interesting cars.

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u/Hi-Lander 23d ago

Honda Element would like a word

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u/InternetDweller95 23d ago

Well, the Aztek's fatal flaw was that it looked as bad as the Cybertruck is. A guy I know who had one said once you got past it looking like an ass-crack, it was a pretty decent car.

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u/iwuvwatches 23d ago

That's Walt Whites car right?

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u/Ok_Flan4404 23d ago

The Cyberclunk.

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u/NotRolo 23d ago

Tell me you were born after 1975 without saying "Pacer."

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u/Ice_Burn 23d ago

I'm probably a bit older than you. I remember the Gremlin and the Pacer.

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u/sweetalkersweetalker 23d ago

I remember the PT Cruiser getting hate

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u/kelticladi 23d ago

I actually sort of liked the Aztec. It's modular design appealed to me. It still looked like an actual vehicle tho. The naziwagon just looks like a kid slapped some cardboard boxes together in their backyard.

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u/Hearing_Loss 23d ago

Breaking Bad saved the Aztec for sure

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u/MlleHoneyMitten 22d ago

It really did give it some street cred though, right?! I love that!

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u/Tokin420nchokin 23d ago

I got a killer deal a fully loaded one back in the day. My sister owned it, and brother in law went off the road and hit a tree. It really didn't do much damage, but the new windshield was several thousand dollars at the time due to heads up display and a built in antenna. I got the car for a couple thousand dollars from them with real low miles. I drove it about a year and sold it for like 7k. Really solid vehicle with tons of useful features for its day!

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u/DadEoh75 23d ago

This is such a good observation. I remember the hate 20 years ago but strangely you look at it now and so many Small SUVs today have copied that shape. You have to get rid of the hood scoop and slope the back just a touch more but it’s sort of the same.

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u/Tribblehappy 23d ago

I remember really liking the aztec but my friends all thought I was nuts. The fact you could get a tent for the back was the coolest thing to me.

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u/lump- 23d ago

The Aztec was ahead of its time and everyone knew it!

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u/[deleted] 23d ago

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u/[deleted] 23d ago

The selection bias is strong these days. Ok to graffiti political buses but not teslas and visa versa. But if anyone is surprised that crime goes up when a political party actively dismantles the societal norms and the government at the same time…well they probably didnt get good grades in history class.

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u/AdjNounNumbers 23d ago

Or paint it green and put Waste Management on the side

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u/adooble22 23d ago

Paint it green and slap a Waste Management logo on it

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u/PhthaloVonLangborste 23d ago

Aztek yellow, not red

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u/longboardchick 23d ago

It’s gotta be the gold one. It must be the gold one.

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u/[deleted] 23d ago

😂

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u/SouthLakeWA 23d ago

Or bright yellow

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u/zherico 23d ago

Or "Waste Management"

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u/LuiClikClakClity 23d ago

Darn this is good. I had completely forgotten about the Aztec, my brain eliminated it for self care reasons of course

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u/MlleHoneyMitten 23d ago

The Toyota one is pretty funny.

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u/RandomStallings 23d ago

It's perfect, honestly. I saw a thread yesterday where someone was going on about how anyone who ordered one of those early on was basically evil, no exceptions, and like, what if they just thought they were cool? There's no accounting for taste, and some people like the look. For those people, this is the answer. One big ol' decal that says, "I don't like that guy, but I love this POS to death," all in one name.

I mean, I can respect that.

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u/Khs11 23d ago

People buying a cyber truck though, it’s new. They knew what he was like when they bought it.

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u/MorganChelsea 23d ago

Yeah, there’s really no excuse for cybertruck owners. Muskrat outed himself as the knob that he is long before the announcement/pre-order/sale of that thing.

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u/SocraticIgnoramus 23d ago

Also, there’s really just no use case for the cybertruck that isn’t all around better served by an F-150 Lightning or a Rivian.

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u/[deleted] 23d ago

Its not even a truck tbh. It cant do anything other trucks do and has the audacity of being a 2-seater.

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u/Ok-Tourist-511 23d ago

The cybertruck is much better at getting stuck than the other two.

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u/NoDensetsu 23d ago

In 2019 I wanted a cybertruck. Tbh I still think the styling of it looks alright. And back then i would have put in a pure order for a cybertruck were it not for geography and being broke. And that was a time before when i know now how much of a tool that elon guy really is.

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u/[deleted] 23d ago

Instead of Toyota, the CT should probably have the name of an American made appliance…maybe Whirlpool or Frigidaire?

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u/FlamesOrganGuy 23d ago

Odd looking Tacoma!

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u/Django_Durango 23d ago

It's like when I used to put the Apple sticker that iPods came with over the badge on my Dell laptop. The nerds would clock it when they saw I was running Windows; everyone else would when the apple wasn't lit up.

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u/Windsaar 23d ago

That's not a Cybertruck though, it's clearly a Toyota..

/s

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u/Zynee82 23d ago

That made me laugh. “Oh sure Mr. cybertruck. Blending in just fine buddy!”

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u/Aurori_Swe 23d ago

I felt Toyotas lawyers filing a lawsuit from here

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u/Sol-Blackguy 23d ago

Cybertrucks look like Decepticons that forgot to choose an earth vehicle disguise

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u/Sartres_Roommate 23d ago

Honestly even if he had a pro-Musk bumper sticker I would give him a pass for pretending to pull that off. 👏👏👏

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u/Apart_Bat2791 23d ago

It's spelled SSybertruck.

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u/Cydonia23 23d ago

I mean, my fridge is a Mitsubishi 🤷🏽‍♀️

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u/Moondoobious 23d ago

So.. so was it who built the engines of the Japanese zeros?

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u/Hot-Swimming-7379 23d ago

itsabish - ftfy

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u/pdx7776 23d ago

That’s the mazdamodelsix

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u/Hot-Swimming-7379 23d ago

But are you brave enough to brand it as a Chrysler K car??

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u/rlindsley 23d ago

That’s incredible. I never would have questioned the Mazda. If I had a Tesla I would absolutely do that mod.

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u/Stranger-Sun 23d ago

Yeah I'm doing this asap

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u/Susanna-Saunders 22d ago

The Tesla 2nd hand market is going to be wild in a few years time! 😊

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u/BMWbill 23d ago

I’ve been thinking about doing this for a few months now but this post today prompted me to finally take the plunge:

https://imgur.com/a/j5SPgBa

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u/rlindsley 23d ago

That looks fantastic!!!

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u/BMWbill 22d ago

Thanks. Posted these pics as a new post to Pics and man all I am getting is hate! People frothing at the mouth to throw me shade beside I was an ultra liberal EV adopter hoping to save the world! lol. It’s crazy how fast my car went from being hated on the right to being hated on the left. Tragic really.

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u/rlindsley 22d ago

Tesla has had a crazy ride! Previously it was the most hated car from the right, now it’s the most hated car from the left. People who bought them can’t get rid of them fast enough.

I think it’s really sad because people who bought Tesla’s are caught in the middle of this Elon nightmare. It sounds like you’re trying to make the best of a bad situation. Sorry you’re caught up in all of it - especially since the Orange Menace is now a car salesman for “Tesler.”

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u/flitterbug78 23d ago

Did not know that! Any reason why he designed the logo to look like an IUD? I can’t not see that, so I’m grateful for these redesigns ha

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u/ToplaneVayne 23d ago

It's a part of a cross section of an electric motor, meant to look like a T.

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u/Beznia 23d ago

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u/cXs808 23d ago

that is a cool idea but it needed some serious thought. It looks like an IUD to everyone because nobody knows what the cross section of a electric motor looks like.

It's also not even an accurate rotor from an electric motor lol

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u/iwuvwatches 23d ago

he wanted to add Wi-Fi to IUDs so women can be more productive. That never panned out so he decided to make cars.

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u/Namaker 23d ago

"Make women productive again"? Or "That's why it's called 'reproductive system'"

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u/flitterbug78 23d ago

Good lord

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u/headrush46n2 23d ago

Its called uterus Marge, not uteryou.

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u/Available_Success790 23d ago

So my brain is really trying to make a joke about the Tesla IUD logo, Elon's ignored children, and his current job auditing the government "RE:Productivity"

But I just can't string it together so y'all have at it.

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u/AnRealDinosaur 23d ago

I really hope this ends up in one of google's Ai overviews.

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u/flitterbug78 23d ago

And that’s not entirely unbelievable, hmm

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u/try2try 23d ago

be more productive.

Also trackable, and able to be bricked remotely

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u/sunlit943 23d ago

Hilarious

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u/bayradbury 23d ago

It's supposed to look like a flying owl I think

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u/TheObviousChild 23d ago

Pretty sure they meant the Tesla “T” that looks like an IUD.

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u/flitterbug78 23d ago

Correct, also, apt user name

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u/deflorist 23d ago

oh shit

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u/hardboard 23d ago

The Tesla version must be a frying owl.

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u/mkymooooo 23d ago

Zoom zoom

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u/ThresholdSeven 23d ago edited 13d ago

I don't know what it's meant to symbolize other than a stylized T for Tesla, but I agree the similarity to an IUD is fitting, as well as it being a metaphor for sterilization. I don't think I have to explain why.

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u/Yellowbug2001 23d ago

I've thought the same for years, I suspect they'd probably have a different logo if they'd had a few more women giving input.

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u/flitterbug78 23d ago

Not sure we’re allowed to talk about diversity in the board room anymore… oh wait, that’s only south of the boarder (sorry in Canadian)

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u/Yellowbug2001 23d ago

I'm planning to keep talking about whatever I want down here, but I'd sure like to be as confident I won't get disappeared for it as I was like, 2 months ago. 😐

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u/flitterbug78 23d ago

This too shall pass. If you need time away somewhere accepting, we’re up here with open arms. There are politics here too, but not like that.

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u/Yellowbug2001 23d ago

My husband is applying for blood right citizenship in Romania, which would let us live and work in the EU... Hoping we won't need to use it (no offense to Romania, which looks quite nice actually), but I suspect if we waited much longer to start looking into escape options we could regret it in a big way. It's NUTS that that's where we are.

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u/flitterbug78 23d ago

Virtual hug, and best wishes in your hunt for alternatives. Only visited there once briefly, but agree it has some beautiful spots!

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u/shana104 23d ago

Oh man. Now that you mention it....thanks for the realization. :p

Oh, and Amazon looks like a dick.

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u/hce692 23d ago

Um.. the Car design architect is not doing logo design???

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u/flitterbug78 23d ago

Fair for sure, but whoever designed the logo…. It’s still an IUD.

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u/WilfordsTrain 23d ago

If only Mama Musk was using her IUD 50 years ago.

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u/Halt96 23d ago

So true!

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u/HopefulTangerine5913 23d ago

I had no idea! Every time I get stuck with a Tesla for an Uber driver I am reminded how much it’s like riding in the backseat of a Mazda. This makes sense

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u/cXs808 23d ago

Yeah you can totally tell. Tesla sedans have always looked like remixed Mazda 3's, both inside and out.

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u/StupendousMalice 23d ago

The real Mazda dealership license plate frame is a nice touch.

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u/[deleted] 23d ago

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u/Gnonthgol 23d ago

When you come in and drop $5 for a new headlight bulb replacement they throw that in for free.

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u/wolfmmos 23d ago

The skyactiv badge too

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u/MyPasswordIsMyCat 23d ago

I saw a "Honda" Model 3 recently that confused me for a minute.

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u/HeadfulOfGhosts 23d ago

It was badged as a Honda Civic and made me laugh hysterically

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u/Ratbu 23d ago

Should've stuck a grille sticker on it

The Model 3 (and Y)'s blank front opens up tons of possibilities

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u/LadySquidington 23d ago

I’ve replaced all of mine with Star War rebel alliance logos.

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u/Ratbu 23d ago

As an EV enthusiast, lemme tell you, don't let anyone give you shit for driving a Tesla

I'm sure you're one of those who are able to separate the creator from the creation (although in this case, Elmo DIDN'T even create any of the models aside from the Cyberyuck, he just takes all the credit from the engineers and the designers)

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u/LadySquidington 23d ago

I absolutely can separate the two. I’m just trying to not get keyed or spray painted. Luckily, where I live there are so many of the cyber dumpsters that people are more focused on hating on those.

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u/Ratbu 23d ago

What model do you have?

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u/ComputerSavvy 23d ago

How about this badging?

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u/7f0b 23d ago

I legitimately am considering debadging and putting Civic Hybrid badges on. Because I think it would be funny. A 4.0 second Civic Hybrid. The main thing keeping me from doing it is the thought of having to undo it when I decide to sell. Badges are easy to remove but hard to put on (perfectly). Each letter in the "dual motor" badge is separate. Yikes. And I prefer mostly-stock cars.

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u/conbrochill93 23d ago

That would be courtesy of this man

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u/ZealousidealToe9416 23d ago

It’s also funny because Mazda are famous for their rotary engines, the original concept for which was designed by notable Nazi member, Felix Wankel.

Also, side note, Wankel Rotaries sound fucking insane.

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u/Headshot_ 23d ago

It basically looks like a Mazda6 with that badge lol

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u/pinkocatgirl 23d ago

You're right and I hate that they used the CX-5 badge instead. From the rear, it totally can pass as a Mazda6.

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u/Awsomethingy 23d ago

Ah a fellow mazda knower. I’m curious, did you also work for them? I noticed it too

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u/pinkocatgirl 23d ago

No I'm just a nerd who notices this kind of thing lol

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u/Awsomethingy 23d ago

Haha, that’s great. I work in mazda advertising and you already sound like a great fit 😂

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u/[deleted] 23d ago edited 20d ago

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u/nohopeleftforanyone 23d ago

I had to get rid of my CX-9 for more room. I miss it so much. Mazda is superior to any vehicle and you can fight me. The infotainment knob is a driver’s dream.

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u/[deleted] 23d ago edited 20d ago

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u/nohopeleftforanyone 23d ago

Kia Carnival. I have 5 kids and my life is a circus.

All electric doesn’t work well where I live, so it really was perfect for us.

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u/Hartia 23d ago

It's also skyactiv technology!

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u/Baconer 23d ago

Not have the ‘e’ is why marketing gets paid big bucks 

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u/marshmellobandit 23d ago

It makes the car go faster 😮‍💨

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u/Aaron707 23d ago

zoom zoom

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u/Key_Swordfish_4662 23d ago

Saw that too! Also, they added the Mazda name in carbon fibre on that chrome detail line below the logo. Wonder if they got Mazda rims or hubcaps to add the cherry on top.

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u/amishius 23d ago

Yeah by far the best of the three.

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u/[deleted] 23d ago

Looks similar to a Mazda 6

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u/BankLikeFrankWt 23d ago

Conversely, the stupid truck isn’t fooling anyone.

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u/RadAirDude 23d ago

The Mazda plate frame icing on the cake

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u/Uzorglemon 23d ago

Yeah I thought the same. At a glance it works very well.

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u/afro_on_fire 23d ago

Yoooo nice beksinski pfp

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u/bocamoccajoe 23d ago

Bless up! He’s my most inspiring artist!

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u/squat_bench_press 23d ago

I wouldnt look twice at any of them, they all look like what the badge says

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u/Claymore357 23d ago

The “Toyota” certainly does not

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u/vulgardisplay76 23d ago

I was like…the TOYOTA? 😂

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u/[deleted] 23d ago

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u/notmyfirst_throwawa 23d ago

But what model is that Toyota? Its so convincing I'm stumped, you can't convince me that isn't a Tacoma

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u/Deezney 23d ago

That's actually so funny, because that soecific mazda 6 is not popular now but he knew that it will look similar LOL

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u/elScorXXo 23d ago

Didn’t fool the person who keyed it lol

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u/SailInternational251 23d ago

Now you need to know cars before creatively encouraging trade ins.

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u/done_lurking_i_guess 23d ago

Please let me know where to buy that trim piece for my 2013 model s!

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u/Pluckypato 23d ago

They Mazda had an epiphany

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u/FinancialArmadillo93 23d ago

What do you all think about this? We have a leased Tesla 2023 and can't afford to end the lease and it can't be transferred.

Edit: We bought a Pontiac logo to try - my dad worked at Pontiac in the 1970s and 80s, kind of a tribute to him.

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u/Bulky_Promotion_5742 23d ago

It’s the most believable. 😂

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u/HeadfulOfGhosts 23d ago

Pretty sure Fisker designed the Model S originally but the Model S and Mazda 6 have similar low slung, curvy designs. I’m thinking the S inspired the 6 since it’s such an old design.

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u/foxdye22 23d ago

They included the skyactiv badge lol

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u/tree-molester 23d ago

But to go from a Tesla to the Four Ring Circus. Don’t know which has a bigger douche driving.

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u/redditismylawyer 23d ago

From Trump, huh? Not from the neo Nazi owner? Man it is really something to watch media work double overtime to avoid calling that shit bag out.

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u/Jimlobster 23d ago

Honestly with the exception of the cybertruck one, they both would fool me

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u/isuphysics 23d ago

I saw one the other day with a sticker in the front to make it look like it had a grill. Made me do a double take.

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u/SexySaxViking 23d ago

The Toyota badge, on the other hand…

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u/Lord_Velvet_Ant 23d ago

The sedans would work pretty well with just about any make of car. It's the poor dumpsters that just can't fit in. I guess nice try with the Toyota tho?

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u/lunixss 23d ago

Really? I thought the Audi looked cleaner/intended.

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u/WinkyWinkyBums 23d ago

I literally saw a red Tesla with a Mazda symbol today. I spent way too long trying to figure out if it was a Tesla or not.

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u/Unusual_Celery555 23d ago

Lol even after reading the title I was like "Not too bad of an audi lookalike" "this one is a bit of a reach " "Photo of a Mazda by mistake?"

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u/rox_underscore 23d ago

I keep seeing them and think the same thing 🤣

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u/citori411 23d ago

Teslas (3/Y) have become the beige khakis of sedans. They are remarkably boring in their design. At release? Kinda looked cool. But they haven't kept up with styling at all.

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u/ilan1299 23d ago

Honda too! I think Tesla's are just designed so neutral that the badge determines the "design langauge". Like put a Porsche badge on the hood of a Model S and another badge on the back... and you've got a pretty generic looking Panamera.

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u/Maxfli81 23d ago

Looks very good. Just like a 6

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u/Sonicblue123 23d ago

cheif designer of Tesla used to design Mazda’s in the 90s

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u/Everyday-is-the-same 23d ago

Agreed and they even got the sky active badge. Impressive

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u/Mister_Brevity 23d ago

Yeah it could be a newer Mazda 6 easy

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u/ManikSahdev 23d ago

There is also Skyactive lol

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u/Taranchulla 23d ago

Yeah I would just assume it’s a Mazda

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