Sales of new Tesla electric cars are sliding across Europe, data suggests, amid a political backlash against its billionaire chief executive, Elon Musk.
The figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) showed registrations for new Teslas halved in April compared to the same month a year earlier, despite a broader rise in battery electric vehicles overall.
The electric carmaker faces widespread backlash against Musk’s political ties to Donald Trump, and vocal support for the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party.
Russ Mould, of the investment broker AJ Bell, said the drop in registrations “suggests the brand damage caused by Elon Musk’s political interventions may be lasting.
“The company may also be suffering from its lack of tyre print in the hybrid market with many motorists still wary of going fully electric,” he said.
According to the latest snapshot, the ACEA said Tesla registrations fell from 14,228 in April 2024 to 7,261 last month, a decline of 49%, in the EU, the UK, and the broader European Free Trade Association bloc – which consists of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
However, overall battery electric car sales rose by 27.8% in April, compared with a 22.4% drop in petrol cars and a 24.7% drop in diesel cars. Sales of plug-in hybrid cars rose by 31.3%. Total car registrations rose most for the Chinese state-owned manufacturer SAIC, owner of the British brand MG, and the Japanese carmaker Mitsubishi.
This year sales at Tesla have fallen in some of its biggest markets and there have been political protests at some of its showrooms. In the UK, the company registered just 512 new vehicles in April, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, down 62% from a year earlier.
Speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum last week, Musk told Bloomberg that while Europe was Tesla’s weakest market, it was “strong everywhere else”, and although it had “lost some sales paths on the [political] left”, it had “gained them on the right”.
Tesla reported a 13% drop in vehicle sales in the first three months of this year, which made it the worst quarter since 2022. However, shares in Tesla have rallied by about 25% in the past month, after reports that Musk will be reducing his time spent advising the Trump administration. Tesla shares are still down 6% in the year to date.
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There had been hopes of a revival in demand after the company launched its updated Model Y car in China and in Europe, although weak sales figures suggest that reception of the redesign has been lukewarm.
While politics have affected Tesla sales in Europe, analysts at the investment bank UBS have also suggested that in China, Tesla is losing to local electric vehicle brands.
Last year the Chinese brand BYD reported global sales of more than $100bn (£83bn) last year, overtaking Tesla as the world’s biggest electric car company by revenue.
Tesla was approached for comment.
