Sales of new Tesla vehicles in Europe dropped sharply last month, nearly halving as demand for the U.S. automaker’s cars appeared to wane. The decline comes as CEO Elon Musk inserts himself into political debates on both sides of the Atlantic.
According to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), Tesla sold 9,945 vehicles in Europe in January, marking a 45% decline from the 18,161 units sold in the same month last year. As a result, Tesla’s market share fell from 1.8% to just 1%.
The slump in sales may signal a growing consumer backlash against Musk’s political interventions in Europe and his close ties to former U.S. President Donald Trump. Musk’s support for Trump’s policies—including efforts to defund and shrink the U.S. government and end key aid programs—has drawn criticism, potentially influencing consumer sentiment in European markets.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk, a close adviser to the U.S. president, has become an outspoken supporter of Germany’s far-right AfD party in recent months, calling it the country’s “best hope for the future” in January. On Monday, he personally congratulated the party’s co-leader, Alice Weidel, following its strong performance in Germany’s national election, where it doubled its support compared to the previous vote.
Musk has also stirred controversy in the UK by wading into the political debate on grooming gangs, publicly accusing Labour leader Keir Starmer and other senior politicians of covering up the issue—despite a lack of evidence of any organized cover-up.
In early January, French President Emmanuel Macron joined leaders from Norway, Britain, and Germany in responding to Musk’s barrage of social media posts, which have increasingly backed far-right parties and attacked left-wing politicians across Europe.
Meanwhile, Tesla’s European sales have taken a significant hit. The company sold just 1,277 new cars in Germany last month—its lowest monthly total since July 2021, according to Bloomberg calculations. In France, sales plummeted by 63%, marking Tesla’s weakest performance there since August 2022.
For the first time, Tesla also registered fewer vehicles in the UK than its Chinese rival, BYD. While the overall UK electric vehicle market grew by 42% last month, Tesla’s sales fell by nearly 8%.
This decline comes as the broader European market for battery-electric vehicles expanded by 34% in January, reaching 124,341 units and capturing a 15% share of total new car sales, according to the latest figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).
