Tesla becomes most trusted auto brand in Canada, ranks 11th in all industries

A new study shows that Tesla is successfully building its brand in Canada. The University of Victoria released its second-annual Gustavson Brand Trust Index (GBTI), which ranks national brands per industry sectors by measuring consumers’ level of trust based on a survey of 6,384 people.

Surprisingly, the results placed Tesla has the most trusted car brand in Canada.

I say it’s surprising because Tesla only delivered just over 4,500 vehicles in the country since its market introduction in 2013. That’s only 3 full years of presence in the country if we don’t account for the handful of Tesla Roadsters on Canadian roads.

It’s a really short time to build trust with customers, but thanks to younger Canadians (under 35), Tesla managed to beat more established brands in the country, like GM and Honda.

Saul Klein, dean of the Gustavson School of Business, tried to explain Tesla’s success based on his school’s trust index. He told the Globe and Mail:

“We think there’s a shift taking place: In many ways we choose brands that provide their basic functions well, that are reliable, value for money, whatever.” But, increasingly, he says, “what’s important to consumers is the extent to which the brand or the company is acting to a broader value perspective: respects the environment, treats employees well, invests in the community and cares about societal well-being.”

Indeed, Tesla’s mission to “accelerate the advent of electric transport” is quite broad and can appeal to a lot of people, but especially to people under 35, according to the survey:

Tesla took the first place in the automaker category. It ranked 11th in all the sectors combined, but the electric automaker also took the third place in all sectors for people surveyed under 35 – only beaten by IKEA and Band-Aid.

While Tesla’s delivery numbers in Canada don’t represent a significant percentage of its global sales, it might changes in the next few years with the upcoming introduction of the Model 3. The first day that reservations were available at Tesla stores, some of the longest lines around the world were at Tesla’s Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver locations. Over 1,000 people waited in the rain at the Montreal store to get a chance to be among the first few to place a deposit for the vehicle.