Elon Musk Mixes European Politics, Tesla Sales Fall Free In January

JAKARTA - Bad news approaching Tesla in early 2025. Early January sales data from various European countries showed a sharp decline, raising serious concerns for electric car manufacturers from the United States. This decline occurred in Tesla's main markets, including France, Germany and the UK, high purchasing countries that have been their mainstay sales.

Launching The New York Times and Business Insider, Thursday, February 6, the first worst sales decline occurred in Germany, down 59 percent further deepening Tesla's poor record at home after a 41 percent drop in 2024.

In France, Tesla's sales also went free even up to 63 percent, inversely proportional to the overall car market which only experienced a 6 percent decline, and electric car sales, which even fell 0.5 percent.

Then, although not as bad as France and Germany, the UK also recorded a 12 percent decline in Tesla sales. However, more worrying, the electric car market in the UK actually jumped 35 percent in January compared to the previous year. This means that electric car market cakes are getting bigger, but Tesla has lost its market share. The fact that no Tesla model was included in the list of 10 best-selling cars in the UK last month was a major blow to the company. The decline was also recorded in Scandinavian and Dutch countries, such as Sweden (44 percent), Norway (38 percent), and the Netherlands (42 percent).

While citing Arstechnica, analysts assess that there are several factors that have contributed to the drop in Tesla sales in Europe. Tesla's limited and outdated model ranks are thought to be one of the causes. Hope now rests on the facelift model Model Y crossover to boost sales. Tesla's investment in Cybertruck also doesn't have a positive impact in Europe, given its size is too large, heavy, and doesn't match highway regulations there.

However, the most significant factor is the behavior of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Musk's involvement in European politics, especially in supporting the right-wing movement, is strongly suspected of being a negative sentiment for consumers on the continent. European consumers, who are increasingly concerned with social and political issues, seem to be starting to stay away from brands associated with the controversial behavior of their owners.