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Elon Musk Twitter takeover: Automakers rebel against Tesla CEO, pause ads on social media platform

Elon Musk taking over Twitter has prompted a wave of reactions from various sectors, and him being the CEO of Tesla has evoked certain reactions from the automotive industry as well.

Elon Musk Twitter takeover: Automakers rebel against Tesla CEO, pause ads on social media platform Image for representation

Elon Musk taking ownership of Twitter has had a multi-pronged effect on the social media world. There having multiple reports of celebrities deleting their account, reports of the price for ownership of a blue tick on the social media platform, and others. Similarly, the takeover has had a similar effect or reaction from the automotive industry. After Tesla's CEO became the owner of Twitter, multiple auto brands stopped their advertisements on the social media platform or are considering doing so. The latest company to join the list of such brands is the Volkswagen Group.

Based on the reports of Reuters, Volkswagen Group is telling its brands to pause advertising on Twitter. "We are closely monitoring the situation and will decide about the next steps depending on its evolvement," Volkswagen said in a statement, per Reuters.

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A day before the VW Group statement, Audi of America, a division of the VW Group brand Audi, announced that it had suspended its paid Twitter advertising. Audi of America will "continue to evaluate the situation," according to Reuters.

Volkswagen (passenger cars), Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Skoda, SEAT, Cupra, Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley, Porsche, and Ducati are the brands now included in the Volkswagen Group. The VW Group includes numerous subsidiaries, including the Bugatti-Rimac, but we suspect the carmaker will order those businesses to stop advertising on Twitter temporarily.

On the other hand, Ford acknowledged that before Musk's takeover, it had stopped running advertisements on Twitter. As soon as the news about Musk and Twitter initially surfaced in April of this year, Fisker, on the other hand, took a harsher action, with the company's CEO and the owner immediately deactivating his Twitter account. Citroen responded to the Musk-Twitter controversy with a one-liner tweet.