Elon Musk's mother, Maye Musk, is a celebrity in her own right.
The 76-year-old model, nutritionist, and father of one of the richest men on the planet has 1.5 million followers on Instagram and has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, among other things.
“Chinese people like women who have an elegant and sophisticated image,” Nadira Aichkaer, a Chinese makeup artist who was impressed with Musk's makeup last year, told the outlet. “Western celebrities who are too sexy or too bold are not popular in China.”
Altman Peng, a professor of economics at the University of Warwick in the UK, told The Wall Street Journal that Musk is the “perfect idol” for Chinese women who want to have it all – a career, kids – and still remain attractive while doing so.
Musk's 2019 memoir became a best-seller in China and he has become something of a brand influencer in the country, according to The Wall Street Journal, which reported that after Musk posted about a $200 massaging waistband on Chinese social media, more than 140,000 units were sold.
Musk has also spoken about his billionaire son's work during his visit to China. On May 12, Musk posted a photo of flowers he received from Elon Musk on Mother's Day on Instagram, which is blocked in China, in a photo taken in Shanghai. He also shared a photo of a Tesla car that was apparently taken during the visit.
“Everywhere I go people love Tesla. How about this Tesla color? Everyone is having fun in China,” she wrote in the caption.
Musk also said he received the flowers after a television interview in which he praised Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory.
Despite steady growth in recent years, electric vehicle makers have struggled with sluggish sales in China, the world's largest auto market, amid growing competition from Chinese manufacturers.
Tesla's car sales in China fell 18% year-over-year in April, BI previously reported. Bloomberg also reported in April that Tesla's share of the Chinese auto market had fallen from 10% to 7.5% in a year.
But Elon Musk isn't giving up on China without a fight: He visited the country in April, and BI's Nora Norton previously reported that Musk appeared to be sending reinforcements to bolster operations there.
Maybe his mom can help.
Musk did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
