Tesla sales crash in Europe, UK. We can only wonder why
- Reference: 1738826355
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/02/06/europe_uk_tesla_sales/
- Source link:
Germany's Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt vehicle authority [1]reported Wednesday that sales of Musk's EV brand dropped by nearly 60 percent in January compared to the same period last year. The French automotive industry [2]recorded a 63 percent year-over-year decline in registrations last month. The UK fared slightly better, though registrations still dipped by nearly eight percent in January, [3]according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders logging.
Numbers are similar across Europe, trade publication Electrek [4]noted Tesla registrations in the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway fell more than 40 percent, while Spain saw the steepest decline of 75 percent.
[5]
Despite Tesla's decline in the UK, France, and Germany, sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are up in those countries. The UK reported a 41 percent YoY increase in BEV registrations in January 2025, and Germany, despite an overall decline in automotive sales, saw a 53.5 percent increase in BEV purchases. The French automotive market, meanwhile, saw a sizable decline in sales overall, but BEV purchases as a share of total automotive sales increased YoY in January.
[6]
[7]
It’s tempting to blame the falls on Britons and Europeans’ distaste for Tesla boss Elon Musk, who as well as going through the US federal government like a [8]wrecking ball for President Trump has recently spent a lot of time [9]supporting right-wing causes in Europe. Tesla’s European operations have also been the subject of [10]protests , and an [11]arson attack near its Berlin Gigafactory. A long-running [12]strike that began in Sweden in October 2023 saw Tesla service workers protest the car-maker’s disinterest in bargain with a local union. That strike is ongoing and has [13]spilled into other countries , where workers [14]continue to refuse to work with Tesla in solidarity.
The data we’ve linked to above reports new vehicle registrations, though, not consumer sentiment.
[15]
And the registration data suggests another explanation for Tesla’s sales slump in the form strong growth for rival EV brands. In the UK, Chinese leccy vehicle maker BYD saw year-over-year registrations increase by 550 percent to 1,614 vehicles, and a 69 percent jump in Germany. Polestar, a brand co-owed by Chinese concerns and Sweden’s Volvo, enjoyed 216 percent growth in the UK and 113 percent in Germany but sold in small numbers compared to Tesla.
BYD EVs are cheaper than Teslas in many territories. And Polestars are very posh.
Tesla has also not delivered new models for several years, other than its [16]somewhat wonky Cybertruck . A refreshed version of its best-selling Model Y recently went on sale, but it is unclear when they’ll become available.
[17]Tesla recalls 239,382 vehicles over rearview camera problems
[18]Musk's DOGE ship gets 'full' access to Treasury payment system, sinks USAID
[19]US watchdog sticks probe into 2.6M Teslas over so-called Smart Summon crash reports
[20]OpenAI, Microsoft urge judge to toss out Musk's 'fact-free' lawsuit
Tesla, which posted its fourth-quarter earnings last week, [21]reported a dismal three months - and year - with a 71 percent plunge in profit and an eight percent decline in automotive revenue. It would be easy to dismiss some of that as continued skepticism around electric vehicles, but that doesn't appear to be the case.
[22]
Elon Musk leans against his completely real invisible car, at Trump's 2025 inauguration ... Click for source
Tesla's sales problem isn't confined to Europe, either. California, America's largest electric vehicle market, [23]attributed [PDF] an overall decline in automotive sales in the state last year solely to Elon Musk's automotive venture.
"All of the decrease in the state market last year was attributable to Tesla, which had an 11.6 percent decline," the California New Car Dealers Association said. "Registrations for all other brands increased 1.4 percent." ®
Get our [24]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.kba.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/Fahrzeugzulassungen/2025/pm05_2025_n_01_25_pm_komplett.html;jsessionid=A356C4FF53F7AABCEDC15243FF11D660.live11292
[2] https://pfa-auto.fr/2025/02/01/marche-automobile-francais-janvier-2025/
[3] https://www.smmt.co.uk/vehicle-data/car-registrations/
[4] https://electrek.co/2025/02/05/tesla-sales-dropped-60-in-germany/
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Z6SWVVT_NBH7OIo9fHthxwAAAdM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z6SWVVT_NBH7OIo9fHthxwAAAdM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Z6SWVVT_NBH7OIo9fHthxwAAAdM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/06/democrats_opm_server/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/07/musk_political_adventures/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/11/tesla_gigafactory_police/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/07/tesla_berlin_gigafactory_offline/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2023/11/27/tesla_sweden_strike_lawsuit/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2023/12/07/swedish_tesla_strike_international/
[14] https://news.industriall-europe.eu/Article/1150
[15] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z6SWVVT_NBH7OIo9fHthxwAAAdM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2024/11/14/tesla_cybertruck_recalled_mosfets/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/13/tesla_recalls_239382_vehicles_over/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/03/musk_doge_treasury_usaid/
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/08/nhtsa_tesla_smart_summon/
[20] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/04/openai_microsoft_musk_lawsuit/
[21] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/30/tesla_q4_2024/
[22] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VfYjPzj1Xw
[23] https://www.cncda.org/wp-content/uploads/Cal-Covering-4Q-24-FINAL.pdf
[24] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Disappointed you didn't add a photo of Musk illustrating how high sales will be when (if) FSD gets approved in Europe.
Apologies
The person responsible for adding Elon's pic was earlier removed by DOGE. An AI has now replaced them and inserted a suitable photo.
Thank you.
C.
Ferdinand Porche?
Disappointed you didn't add a photo of Musk illustrating how high sales will be when (if) FSD gets approved in Europe.
I suppose Space Karen might be viewed as a latter day Porche.
In any case I can believe many Europeans are not overjoyed at the prospect of owning a swasTi car or at least wouldn't give a fylfot.
I believe it's a similar situation in AU where Tesla is losing market share to other marques especially to those offering plug-in hybrids although EVs are still a small proportion of all auto sales.
Re: FSD
Did you miss spell ФСБ?
Tesla was all about PR
Objectively, every car company has an EV range that is very competitive to Tesla. Tesla is all about the Elon reality distortion, and that's gone now. Their head start in the market has been wasted.
Re: Tesla was all about PR
And as the first poster alluded to, so was Gerald Ratner :)
He just didn't know it until he told the public that the only way he could make money from his cheap tat was "because it's total crap"
Not really a time to be owning a Tesla
Even without Xitler's stupidity at the helm, the cars appeared to be attracting the same stereotype as Audis (and before that, BMW's) did - that of being driven by a total wanker.
Whether the stereotype is accurate or not outside of his weird fanbase is another matter - and before anyone starts, I run a Skoda. :P
Re: Not really a time to be owning a Tesla
Tbf, that stereotype never hurt Audi or Beemer sales though.
Re: Not really a time to be owning a Tesla
They did have engineering qualities to offset the slightly negative image, though. Whether that still is the case remains open for debate.
Re: Not really a time to be owning a Tesla
There was an article the other day that someone in the UK drove their brand new Tesla around 100 miles and the front suspension collapsed, due to a manufacturing fault. This caused lots of other damage to the vehicle but the owner is landed with a £10k bill as Tesla more or less say "tough shit". Doesn't inspire anyone to buy a Tesla.
Re: Not really a time to be owning a Tesla
That sounds like a perfect example of selling something that is not fit for purpose, and the owner of the Tesla should be taking the Tesla dealership to court under breach of the UK Consumer Rights Act.
I can almost guarantee that as soon as the court papers land on the dealers desk they will be on the phone offering a free repair or replacement within minutes because there is no way that the court wouldn't find in the car owners favour for a car that cost £50k going tits up after less than 100 miles of use.
Re: Not really a time to be owning a Tesla
Tesla ... "that of being driven by a total wanker."
Given neither hand is on the steering wheel I can see the clear need for FSD.
T not just for Tesla, Tosser is in the running.
Its a mystery
Stale range, poor build quality, awful parts availability, neo Nazi asshole as figurehead, nope, can't think why they're not selling...
Re: Its a mystery
Answers for common decency and taste combined with the practical and safety aspect of them removing the gear stick, windscreen wiper and indicator stalks...
They should be banned for not having windscreen wipers and indicator stalks. When are the DVSA going to grow some balls and stop this dangerous stupidity.
No new car models is the problem
Apparently there will be a new model released later this year - the Tesla 88
Re: No new car models is the problem
I thought is was the new Model SS.
Re: No new car models is the problem
I think you mean SSesla 88
Read [1]the comments to this video in the voices of Clarkson, May, and Hammond.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgvEnDkNUfg
The greatest set of YouTube comments - in the wuuurld.
Hmm is there a tasteful line of Hugo Boss clothing and luggage to go with the car though?
Heil Wankpanzer...?
Since Elmo's started really strutting around and proudly doing the salute I have started to see more and more debadged Teslas. They're still obviously Teslas, but selling your (now) used car and buying a new one is fairly expensive, and this way at least now your Swasticar no longer has Elmo's mark of the beast on it.
Of course there's still the 'I Bought This Before We Knew He Was a White Nationalist Fascist Psychopath' bumper sticker, but debadging seems like a next level of hate (without actually selling it)?
Haven't seen that with any of the Sports Futility Vehicles, because anyone who owns one is, by definition, proudly a complete arsehole and tosser.
Re: Heil Wankpanzer...?
>Of course there's still the 'I Bought This Before We Knew He Was a White Nationalist Fascist Psychopath' bumper sticker, but debadging seems like a next level of hate (without actually selling it)?
It's a matter of time before it becomes fashionable for them to be rebadged with spray cans
Re: Heil Wankpanzer...?
[1]GB number plates include a two digit year (or year+50) so there is already an indication of how blatant Musk had become when the vehicle was purchased.
Second hand Teslas are tricky because getting Tesla to switch control to a different phone is not straightforward. For cybertrucks it gets more silly. A bunch of people ordered cybertrucks early with the intent of selling them at a profit to people who did not get an early place in the queue. When it became public knowledge that the trucks were crap and rusted easily Tesla changed the rules at prevented resale within a year.
Musk: "We dug our own grave with the Cybertruck". Apparently the FSD option to fill in graves requires the owner to be in the vehicle not the grave. A great opportunity missed.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_the_United_Kingdom#Great_Britain
Any chance the board will think twice about that record breaking contract?
Nope, see Germany 100 years ago
TESLA?
Totally Electric, Still Lame Anyway
(not mine)
Heil Tesla!
One day it will be mandatory to run in a Tesla - One folk, one leader, one Tesla!
In the meantime, if you want to show how proud you are to be a racist, a fascist, a xenophobic guy, buy one and let no doubt about it.
I quite like the cars but I won't go near one while Musk gets money from the deal. Even the people I consider mad right-wing nutters at work are turning their backs on him.
Shrug
Once upon a time Tesla had a monopoly on larger, longer range EVs.
Now they don’t and other manufacturers products are (for various reasons, aesthetic, technical, political, and other) looking like a more attractive choice than Tesla’s (rather stale looking these days) offerings.
MuskCo wouldn’t be the first high profile company to come to grief through taking their customer base for granted and if they do fall by the wayside it seems unlikely that they’d be the last…
Film at 11…
Re: Shrug
A big drop in France in fact, where the French marques have been introducing some capable cars which are suited to the lifestyles (no silly cyber truck stunts) and are price equivalent to ICE.
There are better alternatives to Tesla now, there is no reason to buy one.
Cheap Cybertruck
And none of the problems of one you buy direct from Tesla
[1]https://www.instructables.com/Tesla-Cybertruck-DIY-Made-of-Paper-/
[1] https://www.instructables.com/Tesla-Cybertruck-DIY-Made-of-Paper-/
Sales Crash
Biggest cockup since Gerald Ratner cracked a joke...