BUSINESS
Meddling Musk sees Tesla sales crash and burn in Europe
February 6, 2025 - Tesla electric vehicle sales are tumbling across Europe, in what may be negative sentiment towards Tesla because of CEO Elon Musk’s recent interference in local politics there.
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Sales of Tesla electric cars in Europe plummeted 50% in much of Europe in January 2025, when compared to the same month last year.
In Spain, sales were down 75% year-on-year, with France seeing a decline of 63% and Germany 60%.
The latter, one of Tesla’s biggest markets and home to its only European factory, saw the registration of only 1,277 new Tesla vehicles in January – whereas sales of domestic and Chinese EVs soared 54% in the same month.
The poor results are seen by many as a concequence of Musk’s recent meddling in European politics – or as Bill Gates put it, “populist stirring”.
Last month Musk lambasted Germans for focusing too much on “past guilt” for Nazi-era crimes – urging voters to support the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party – mere days before the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Musk has also taken recent swipes at UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer through inflammatory social media posts – UK sales fell 18% in January – and made gestures at U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration that were perceived to be Nazi salutes.