Law firm GKA is representing 10 French clients with leases on Teslas who are seeking to have them terminated early by the Paris Commercial Court, France 24 reports.

Mr Musk was until recently a high-profile supporter of Donald Trump and controversially performed what appeared to be a Nazi salute at a rally celebrating his inauguration in January.

He was subsequently appointed by Trump as a senior adviser, leading the establishment of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which saw the pair frequently appear together in the media until he stepped down at the end of last month.

Outside of America, Mr Musk prominently threw his backing behind the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which Germany’s spy agency has since designated as a vehicle for right-wing extremism.

The lawsuit alleges that Mr Musk’s actions have turned Tesla-branded vehicles into “strong political symbols” and “veritable extreme-right ‘tokens’”, disappointing those who “acquired them with the sole aim of possessing an innovative and ecological vehicle”.