• BMW UK says it won’t be adding any new posts to X, but will still post on Facebook, Instagram
  • The move comes after X boss Elon Musk was accused of making a Nazi salute to a crowd.
  • BMW UK’s decision has no bearing on how the brand might use X in other geographic regions.

Update: We’ve added to this post to include BMW’s official statement and clarification that it’s not quitting X entirely.

Did Tesla and X boss Elon Musk really make multiple Nazi salutes at the inauguration of President Trump this week, or was it just an ‘awkward’ hand gesture and the whole thing has been blown out of proportion? BMW’s decision to pull out of X only two days later leaves us in no doubt about the German automaker’s opinion on the matter.

On early Wednesday BMW UK wrote on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, that it would no longer be posting content on the platform, without providing any reasons for the decision.

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“We’re no longer posting on X,” BMW said. “Don’t worry though, our Customer Support team is still here [on X] if you need us. You can also see all the latest BMW news by following us on Facebook and Instagram at BMWUK.”

The post appeared less than 48 hours after Musk, whose Tesla brand is a key BMW rival, had caused a furor when he appeared to make a Nazi salute during the celebrations at President Trump’s inauguration. Having thanked the crowd for “making it happen,” Musk can be seen in video clips holding his clenched fist to his chest before thrusting his arm out in an upward move, with his fingers pointing straight out.

But BMW UK claims the decision was “taken some time ago,” and says that it’s not pulling out of X altogether, just using it in a different way. Here’s the statement in full:

“The social media presence of BMW Group brands is managed by each country/region to address their unique requirements. In the UK, we have chosen to position X as a dedicated customer support channel to better meet the needs of our customers. This approach will differ across our brands and regions, reflecting the specific needs of each market.”

Musk has dismissed the nazi accusations as a fuss over nothing. Posting to his own X account, he wrote: “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”

German carmakers, some of whom had connections to the Nazis, are always wary of being linked to the regime. In 2016 BMW apologized for supplying Nazis with vehicles and using slave labor, including prisoners from concentration camps, during the war.

But even figures and groups who would be extremely sensitive to any suggestion that Musk was imitating the gestures of an antisemitic regime have come out in support of a man who is no stranger to controversy and endorsed Germany’s far-right AfD party in December 2024.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Musk as a “great friend of Israel” and said the South African was being “falsely smeared.”