The auto show’s featured list of manufacturers included Tesla as of Tuesday morning but, by the afternoon, the company’s logo had been removed from the show’s website
The Vancouver International Auto Show has removed Tesla, the electric vehicle company controlled by Elon Musk, from this week’s show, citing security concerns.
“The Vancouver International Auto Show has removed Tesla … after the automaker was provided multiple opportunities to voluntarily withdraw,” Eric Nicholl, the auto show’s executive director, said in a statement.
“The Vancouver Auto Show’s primary concern is the safety of attendees, exhibitors and staff.”
The show is one of Western Canada’s largest auto showcases and will feature 200 vehicles over the course of five days, starting March 19, and includes new offerings from Cadillac, Ford, Hyundai, Chevrolet, Toyota and Kia. The event is being held at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
Just under 130,000 people attended last year’s event and organizers expect similar turnout this year.
The auto show’s list of manufacturers included Tesla as of Tuesday morning but, by the afternoon, the company’s logo had been removed from the show’s website.
Tesla’s inclusion had drawn the ire of some British Columbians due to Musk’s questioning of Canadian sovereignty and his prominent role as an adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, who has slapped tariffs on many Canadian goods and threatened to make Canada the “51st state.”
Some believe the New Car Dealers Association of B.C., which organizes the show, and the provincial government, which owns the Vancouver Convention Centre through the Crown corporation PavCo, should have ejected Tesla from the event much earlier.
It was unclear how much Tesla had spent on the exhibit, which is based on square footage, and the company did not respond to a comment from Postmedia.
“Bottom line, I want them to take it out,” said Jen Gagnon, who is a Canadian-American dual citizen, explaining her response to hearing Tesla was part of the auto show was a firm “hell no.”
Gagnon was a key organizer of the “Tesla Takedown” protest in Surrey this past weekend, with protesters holding signs ranging from “fire Musk,” to “elbows up” and Gagnon’s own “Tesla goes down, Elon goes down.”
Other protests have also taken place in Vancouver, organized by the advocacy group Vancouver Against fascism, as well as across North America and Europe in response to the policies of the Trump administration and Musk’s prominent role as head of the Department of Governmental Efficiency.
So far, Musk’s team has worked to gut the American government and a number of aid programs critical to public health and democracy around the world. The world’s richest man has also used his social media platform, X, to interfere in elections in Germany and Romania and promote far-right populist parties across the globe.
“Since election day, I feel like I’ve been watching my home burn down and I have felt angry and sad and powerless and helpless,” said Gagnon.
The province did not comment on the auto show in time for deadline but last week the NDP government announced it was ending B.C. Hydro rebates for car owners installing Tesla chargers.
Premier David Eby told reporters it was purely because of Musk.
“I think if tens of thousands of taxpayers’ money was going to Elon Musk they would want to throw up, so we removed them,” he said.
Musk responded on Twitter to B.C.’s move, calling it “crazy.” Both Musk and Trump have called for any vandalization of Tesla vehicles or dealerships to be classified as domestic terrorism in the U.S.
Trump, in a show of support for his adviser, hosted a Tesla exhibition at the White House last Tuesday, picking out a bright red Model S for possible purchase.
“They’re harming a great American company,” Trump told reporters of the backlash against Tesla, with the company’s stock falling 53 per cent from its record high in December.
“He’s built this great company, and he shouldn’t be penalized because he’s a patriot.”
