...Tesla sales decline = declining Western share of the EV market = lower demand for non-Chinese owned lithium Tesla sales slump by 45% in Europe as continent responds to Elon Musk's political meddling
Tesla's poor performance comes against a backdrop of rising EV competition
By ELENA SALVONI
Published: 04:10 AEDT, 26 February 2025
Tesla has seen a sharp decline in sales in Britain and across Europe, with consumers seemingly turning away from the electric car firm at the same time as its CEO Elon Musk has been accused of political meddling on the continent.
Figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) showed that the brand saw a 45.2 per cent drop across the European Union, Britain and the European Free Trade Area in January.
According to the ACEA, Tesla only sold 9,945 units in Europe last month, a sharp decline from 18,161 units in January 2024, at a time when overall EV sales in Europe are booming.
The company faced a particularly tough market in Germany, where it sold just 1,277 new vehicles - the lowest figure since July 2021. In France, sales plummeted by 63 per cent, while in the UK they dropped by nearly 8 per cent - despite EV sales overall surging by 42 per cent.
Tesla's billionaire co-founder Musk, an outspoken ally of US President Donald Trump, has in recent weeks taken his political activism to Europe, promoting far-right groups and criticising Sir Keir Starmer and other leaders.
His interventions have had a mixed reception, with supporters of the radical right-wing AfD in Germany cheering him at a rally before their party surged ahead in the polls, while others have accused him of interference in European politics.
He has repeatedly voiced his support for hard-right policies, using his platform X to tout the slogan 'Make Europe Great Again,' echoing Trump's famous MAGA tagline in the US.
But recent YouGov polls showed Musk is highly unpopular in both the UK and Germany - with 71 per cent of respondents in both countries saying they take a negative view of the tech tycoon.
There has been a marked increase in his unpopularity since Musk's recent intervention on child grooming gangs in the UK, the pollster added.
Campaigners in London yesterday plastered a mock-up Tesla advert on to a bus stop, depicting Musk in one of the cars while performing the contentious gesture
