Tesla European Sales Crash 45 Percent as Musk Effect Takes Hold

Tesla’s European operations have encountered a significant setback as sales plummeted 45% to 9,945 units in January compared to the previous year, despite a flourishing electric vehicle market across the continent.

The dramatic decline comes amid mounting scrutiny of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s controversial public persona and political alignments. His visible support for President Trump and interventions in British and German politics have sparked considerable backlash among European consumers.

Market research from car-buying advisory website Electrifying reveals most potential electric vehicle purchasers are actively avoiding Tesla due to Musk’s polarising influence. The situation has become so severe that some critics have begun referring to Tesla vehicles as “Swasti-cars,” a reference to Musk’s controversial gestures at recent political events.

The broader European electric vehicle market, encompassing the EU, UK, Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland, demonstrated robust growth with sales increasing 37% to 166,000 units. Germany reclaimed its position as Europe’s leading electric vehicle market, recording a 53% surge to 34,500 vehicles, while the UK secured second place with 29,600 units, representing a 41% increase.

Industry expert Ginny Buckley, Electrifying’s chief executive, attributes Tesla’s struggles to both Musk’s controversial status and increased market competition, noting: “Tesla also has an ageing model line-up and with over 130 electric car models now available in the UK alone, competition has never been fiercer.”

The implementation of new EU sales quotas for electric vehicles this year has prompted manufacturers to strategically manage their Continental sales, with many having deliberately held back inventory from the previous year to meet current requirements.