If there's one thing that Tesla CEO Elon Musk loves, it's being the center of attention. But in Norway—one of Tesla's earliest and most important markets—Kia just stole the spotlight. No, not by building a new EV, but by directly trolling Musk in a pair of ads targeting the recent public rejection of the CEO's behavior.

In a bold (and let's be honest, hilarious) marketing move, Kia Norge took a not-so-subtle jab at Musk via a now-deleted post on Instagram featuring its affordable 300-mile EV3 with a clever bumper sticker on the back that reads: "I bought this after Elon went crazy," a take on the recently popularized "I bought this before Elon went crazy" stickers that went viral with anti-Elon Tesla owners after the U.S. presidential election.

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It's important to remember here that Musk's influence over Tesla is both the automaker's biggest strength and biggest liability. While die-hard fans remain loyal, Musk's increasingly controversial behavior is on the global stage. And if you've been paying attention, recent sales seem to reflect that.

Kia knows this. And frankly, so do other automakers. Several are playing to this and targeting EV buyers ready to leave Tesla behind for another brand. Tesla was once untouchable—the John Gotti of EVs—but now, as Musk's impact beats the brand's image into the ground, criticism is fair game.

I own a Tesla and after buying it I was shopping for a car for my daughter and tried an EV6 while at the dealership. Compared to the EV6 the Tesla is a go-cart. The 2021 Tesla rumbles, has terrible shocks, needs new extremely expensive tires every year, the door handles freeze and feel like they're going to come off in my hands, there's no heat pointed at your feet, the lining of the trunk is peeling off. Meanwhile the EV6 feels like a real car and it was ~5k less. After driving that car I know this is the last Tesla I'll own Musk or no Musk.