Netflix Film Sparks Controversy with Mass Tesla Model 3 Crash Scene: Publicity Stunt or Attack on Elon Musk?

December 12, 2023 | Carina Dietze

(Netflix)The Model 3 mass crash in the new Netflix film raises questions.

In a new Netflix film, Tesla doesn’t come off well at all: a bunch of brand new but dented Model 3s are left stranded on a country road. The image caused a stir online and raises the question: Does the streaming provider have an unfinished business with Tesla boss Musk or is it the strangest product placement of the year?

A recently released film clip from Netflix sparks speculation: numerous white Tesla Model 3s play a role in a scene from “Leave the World Behind” with Julia Roberts, a film about cyberattacks that destabilize global systems. The electric vehicles, which appear to be brand new but have serious damage to the metal, are parked on a rural road and cause the main actress some difficulties.

Julia Roberts is attacked by a mob of Model 3s

In the film sequence, Roberts’ character Amanda is traveling in the car with her family, but is taking a break from driving. She and her husband Clay (Ethan Hawke) are outside their own vehicle, inspecting a row of white Tesla Model 3s parked on a country road. There is no sign of any drivers and upon closer inspection Roberts discovers that all electric vehicles in self-driving mode are set.

Suddenly another white Tesla without a driver speeds up. Amanda and Clay escape into their own car at the last second. What follows is an action-packed driving maneuver in which Roberts repeatedly has to swerve to avoid collisions with other approaching Teslas. At the end of the scene, a drone shot shows a large number of other vehicles that appear to have fallen victim to a similar Tesla attack.

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Weird publicity stunt or nasty swipe?

This explicitly negative portrayal raises questions for many observers. Does Netflix have a score to settle with Elon Musk? Or have the streaming platform Netflix and Tesla reached a rather strange advertising agreement? Although Tesla is known for its reluctance to use traditional forms of advertising, it cannot be ruled out that the company may have paid for its vehicles to appear in the film. After all, product placement is common practice for many large brands, including in the automotive industry.

If Tesla and Netflix actually worked together in this case, it would definitely be a very strange kind of advertising: Mashable reports that the film not only shows Tesla’s technology in a bad light, but also various technical systems are disrupted by cyberattacks. The thriller thus criticizes a large part of what Musk stands for.

The Tesla boss himself commented on the film without discussing a possible agreement with Netflix or criticizing the portrayal. He simply emphasized that Teslas would still deliver full performance “even in a Mad Max scenario.” “There is no such thing as bad press” is still Musk’s motto when it comes to media attention.

2023-12-12 15:57:52
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