Tesla's plummeting sales in Europe blamed on Elon Musk's politics

Tesla's sales in Europe have significantly declined, potentially due to buyer aversion towards Elon Musk himself and his statements. Data from several European countries indicates Tesla's poor market performance, raising concerns within the industry about the impact of Musk's personal conduct on the company's reputation.

Specifically, in Germany, new passenger car registrations for Tesla have plummeted by nearly 60% year-over-year. Data reveals that Tesla's market share in Germany is a mere 0.6%. Schmidt Automatic Research, an automotive research firm, noted in a statement that electric vehicle consumers may be displeased with Musk's remarks inviting leaders of the far-right German political party Alternative for Germany (AfD) to participate in online live streams. Tesla's sales in Germany have been steadily decreasing over the past two years, from nearly 9,000 vehicles in March 2023 to 1,277 vehicles last month.

The decline is even more pronounced in France, where Tesla's sales have dropped by 63% compared to January. Sales in Sweden have decreased by 44%, while Norway and the Netherlands have seen declines of 38% and 42%, respectively. The United Kingdom experienced a relatively smaller decrease of 8%. It is noteworthy that Tesla's sales are declining while overall electric vehicle sales in Europe are on the rise.

Musk has publicly expressed support for far-right political parties in Germany and the United Kingdom, and has harshly criticized the governments of these countries. Estimated to have a net worth of $670 billion, Musk was deeply involved in the Trump administration and spent hundreds of millions of dollars helping Trump get elected president. Democratic Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley has fiercely criticized Musk, calling him a "Nazi nepotist destroying everything" and accusing him of meddling with social security funds.

A recent poll released by The Economist and YouGov shows that only 13% of American respondents want Musk to have a significant influence in the Trump administration. This data further suggests that Musk's personal behavior is negatively impacting his business empire.