Tesla's EU sales will fall as anger grows over Elon Musk

Tesla sales in Germany plummeted in February. This was part of a wider slump beyond Europe, lowering the company's stock price and underscored the company's anger over the political activities of the company's chief executive, Elon Musk.

The German Automotive Industry Association said Wednesday that Tesla cars sold in Germany, Europe's largest electric car market, was 76% pigeons in February compared to the previous year. Sales at US automakers have declined for the second consecutive month.

Since Musk became a virtual member of President Trump's cabinet and strengthened promotions for far-right parties in Europe, his social media platform, the European and other European countries, demand for Teslas has also declined.

Tesla's stock price fell more than 40% from its December peak, slashing all profits after Trump won the presidency in November. Tesla shares were largely unchanged on Wednesday morning.

In Germany, Musk's aggressive promotion of the far-right party may have alienated clients ahead of his call to move beyond last month's parliamentary elections and his citizens' “focus on past guilt.”

Musk and Tesla are targeted by activists and destroyers. London activists have launched a campaign to encourage people to abandon Teslas and cancel their accounts with X. In Strasbourg, France, an activist group warns Tesla chiefs to “leave from the EU” over the weekend to “leave from the EU.”

According to the PFA Automobile Organization, demand for Tesla cars in France fell by more than 26% in February compared to a year ago.

According to the Norwegian Road Traffic Information Council, Tesla sales have been nearly half since the previous year, in Norway, which is at a noticeable distance at the target from the target of ending sales of combustion engine cars this year. This was the second monthly decline despite an overall rise in the number of new cars registered in the country. Tesla's overall market share has dropped to 8.8% so far this year, down from 20% in 2023.

“The brand has been a unique market position in Norway for several years,” Council Director Oyvind Solberg Thorsen said in a statement. “There's a lot of confusion and noise surrounding Tesla and Elon Musk, so it's still not clear if this will continue.”

Tesla's February sales fell 48% in Denmark and 42% in Sweden despite overall rising in both countries' automobile markets.

UK electric vehicle buyers have defied this trend, with Tesla's February sales up 20% compared to the same month last year, the Automakers and Traders Association said on Wednesday. Despite the uptick, Tesla's sales were slower than other electric car brands' sales, with its overall market share shrinking by 3 percentage points to 10.8%.

Part of the decline in sales could be explained by customers awaiting an updated version of Model Y that will begin rolling out in Europe later this month. But that factor alone probably doesn't explain such a big drop, analysts said.

Tesla's anguish is not isolated in Europe. In China, Tesla produced 50% less vehicles in February. Musk's political activities probably don't play a major role in China, the world's largest automotive market, but competition from Chinese automakers such as BYD and Xiaomi is fierce.

Musk has spoken little about flagging car sales, claiming Tesla's growth will rely on advances in autonomous driving technology and “cybercabs” that could pilot, navigate and brake without human intervention. He told investors last month that Tesla will begin offering self-driving cars in Austin, Texas in June.

But Tesla also faces serious competition in its early business. Waymo, a unit of Google's parent company, began offering Uber and unmanned taxi services in Austin on Tuesday. Waymo offers similar services in Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco, and plans to offer commercial services in Atlanta next year.

Musk says Tesla has a driverless vehicle to drive in Austin in June, but he has provided little details.

Some investors want to pressure Musk to focus more on Tesla than as director of the so-called government efficiency sector. Tulipshare, a shareholder advocacy group, plans to ask investors at Tesla's upcoming annual meeting to tie Musk's salary to his performance on environmental goals, social responsibility and corporate governance. There are no meeting days yet.

“It's time for Tesla investors to take accountability for the leadership of the company,” Tulipsia CEO Antoine Argouge said in a statement.