Tesla faces boycotts due to Elon Musk's political views, with sales plummeting across Europe in April, down 81% year-on-year in Sweden and nearly halved in Germany.
On Tuesday, media reports indicated that Tesla is facing severe challenges in Europe, with double-digit declines in sales across six major electric vehicle markets, marking four consecutive months of declining sales in most parts of Europe.
<h2>Double-digit declines in six major markets, UK at &#34;two-year low,&#34; Germany nearly &#34;halved&#34;</h2>
Among them, sales in France fell 59% year-on-year, Sweden down 81%, the Netherlands down 74%, Switzerland down 50%, Portugal down 33%, and Denmark down 67%.
<img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://wpimg-wscn.awtmt.com/72722a95-0a8d-44e8-af9b-a0909ba550fc.png?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://wpimg-wscn.awtmt.com/72722a95-0a8d-44e8-af9b-a0909ba550fc.png"/>
Moreover, Tesla's performance in Germany—the largest automotive market in Europe—is also dismal. Data from the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) shows that Tesla's new car registrations in Germany plummeted 46% year-on-year in April, nearly reaching a 50% decline. From January to April, Tesla's car sales fell 60.4% year-on-year to 5,820 units.
Tesla's sales in the UK market have also dropped to a two-year low, with deliveries in April down 62% compared to the same period last year. So far this year, Tesla's market share in the UK electric vehicle market is 9.3%, down from 12.5% a year ago.
The main exceptions are Norway and Italy, where Tesla sales increased by 12% and 29% year-on-year, respectively, but overall car sales in Italy still declined by 4% in the first four months.
However, as Europeans boycott Tesla and turn to more Chinese electric vehicles, BYD's sales in Germany surged over eightfold in April to 1,566 units, with total sales since the beginning of the year increasing nearly fivefold to 2,791 units.
The collapse of the European market is not an isolated incident; this trend echoes Tesla's global struggles, with the company's global deliveries down 8.5% year-on-year in the first quarter, and its stock price has fallen about 30% since the beginning of the year.
<h2>Tesla faces European boycott due to Musk's political stance</h2>
This decline is related to Musk's role in the Trump administration and his support for European right-wing parties.
Earlier this year, after Musk expressed support for parties including the far-right Alternative for Germany, the &#34;Boycott Tesla&#34; movement emerged.
So far this year, Tesla's factories in Stockholm and Malmö, Sweden, as well as its subsidiary in Lausanne, Switzerland, have had their vehicles painted orange. Protests against Musk and Tesla have erupted in various cities in the Netherlands, and protesters have gathered outside Tesla showrooms in Portugal and Denmark. In Toulouse, France, 12 Tesla cars were burned.
In addition to the boycott against Musk and his political views, the decline in Tesla's sales in Europe may also be related to intensified competition in the electric vehicle market, especially from Chinese companies. Tesla's aging model lineup has struggled to compete with new electric vehicles from rivals like BYD, which offer cutting-edge charging speeds and lower prices
Professor Peter Wells, Director of the Automotive Industry Research Centre at Cardiff University, stated:
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In terms of the product range, we have not yet seen the level of innovation that Musk expects, and I think this is an important part of their problem.
</blockquote>
As for the revamped Model Y, Tesla's websites in Germany and the UK indicate that the revamped Model Y is expected to start deliveries in June, but it will take a few months of sales data to show whether the updated version has won over customers

TSLA

In Europe, Tesla is facing a boycott due to Elon Musk's political views, while the decline in sales is also related to intensified competition in the electric vehicle market

- Tesla's sales in Europe plummeted in April, with Sweden experiencing an 81% year-on-year decline and Germany's sales nearly halving.  
- The drop is attributed to a boycott linked to Elon Musk's political views, particularly his support for far-right parties, alongside increasing competition from Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers.  
- Despite the overall decline, Norway and Italy saw sales increases, while Tesla's global deliveries fell by 8.5% in the first quarter, reflecting broader challenges for the company.

Tesla faced setbacks in Europe in April: six major markets saw double-digit declines, with the UK at a "two-year low" and Germany nearly "halved."