- Tesla’s year-over-year sales fell in multiple countries last month.
- Tesla’s sales in Germany dropped 76% in February amid Musk’s endorsement of the far-right AfD party.
- Tesla also saw a nearly 50% drop in its China-made EVs while BYD recorded an over 90% increase.
Elon Musk told investors to expect Tesla sales to grow this year — but plummeting sales in multiple countries around the world are complicating that goal.
While Tesla’s Model Y continues to be a top seller in the world, and UK sales were up in February, some of Tesla’s wider sales figures in other markets looked grim — the kind of year-over-year drops that should worry the CEO.
Germany: -76%
Take Germany, for example, where Tesla sales last month were down 76% year-over-year, with 1,429 vehicles sold, despite overall EV sales in the country growing 31%, according to data from the German Federal Motor Transport Authority.
Tesla’s sales slump in the country isn’t isolated to a single month, either. It followed a January drop amid Musk’s strong endorsement of the far-right AfD party leading up to the country’s February 23 election.
Norway, Denmark, and Sweden: -42% to -48%
Tesla sales also declined in several other European countries last month.
In February, Tesla sales in Norway and Denmark were down 48% year over year.
Sales in Sweden declined over 40% year over year.
France: -26%
Tesla sales in France last month also declined 26% year-over-year, with 2,395 vehicles sold, an increase from 1,141 Teslas sold in January, according to the French industry group Plateforme Automobile. Tesla’s sales drop in February also came as the country experienced an overall car sales decline of 0.7%.
Teslas manufactured in China: -46%
Sales of Teslas manufactured in China also took a hit in February. The EV giant sold 30,688 China-made vehicles in February, its lowest number since August 2022. That’s a 49% drop year-over-year in China, and it comes as its Chinese rival BYD recorded a 90.4% increase in vehicle sales the same month.
Following the sales update on Teslas made in China, the company’s stock dropped about 4% in early trading on Tuesday before rising around 1.8% on Wednesday afternoon. After several months of a stock surge in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidential victory, Tesla shares are trading down 28% in February.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
While Tesla has faced increasing competition in the EV market in recent years, some investors have also shared concerns that Tesla could be struggling in part due to Musk’s involvement in global politics and position in President Donald Trump’s administration with DOGE.
In recent weeks, a number of “Tesla Takedown” protests have occurred in various cities around the world in response to his political involvement, with demonstrators urging Tesla owners to sell their vehicles.
In a likely effort to boost sales of its most expensive Cybertruck models, the EV giant is offering free charging for the entire period of ownership for buyers of the nearly $100,000 Foundation Series Cybertrucks.
