- Wednesday, May 28, 2025
A backlash against Elon Musk’s political views, combined with a tepid reception for the new Model Y and heightened competition from European and Chinese players, has affected sales
By: India Weekly
ELON MUSK’S Tesla car sales in Europe slumped by half in April, even though electric car sales during the period rose 26.4 per cent, the continent’s manufacturing association said Tuesday (27).
Tesla’s recent upgrade of its Model Y has failed to revive the brand’s fortunes in the region.
This is the fourth consecutive month of a slide in Tesla’s European sales, as a backlash against CEO Elon Musk’s political views combined with a tepid reception for the new Model Y and heightened competition from European and Chinese players.
The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) said Tesla sales in April fell to 5,475 cars, down 52.6 per cent from the same month last year.
Its market share dropped to just 0.7 per cent from 1.3 per cent a year ago.
In the first four months of 2025, Tesla sales have fallen 46.1 per cent against the same period last year to 41,677 cars.
Tesla was overtaken in April by 10 rivals, including Volkswagen, BMW, Renault, and Chinese automaker BYD, according to JATO Dynamics consultants.
Tesla announced in April that its worldwide sales in the first quarter had fallen 13 per cent, increasing pressure on Musk, though the company partly blamed lost production amid an upgrade to its Model Y standard-bearer.
Musk has since announced he will reduce his work helping Trump slash US government spending, and last week said that Tesla sales were “doing well”.
Skoda’s new Elroq led electric car sales while Tesla’s Model Y, the former frontrunner, came ninth.
Sales of electric cars overall rose 26.4 per cent from last year to take a 15.3 per cent share of the market in April, according to the ACEA.
The rise is uneven across Europe as different governments and manufacturers give different incentives to buy electric.
Germany, Belgium, Italy, and Spain have seen a major rise, while electric car sales in France have fallen.
The Chinese brands were a major factor in the popularity of electric and hybrid cars, according to JATO and have 7.9 per cent of the European market.
The BYD, MG, Xpeng and Leapmotor brands saw sales rise 59 per cent over the year in electric and hybrid sales, while other manufacturers put on 26 per cent.
JATO expert Felipe Munoz said it remains to be seen whether the European Union imposes tariffs on Chinese hybrid cars as it has for electric vehicles.
