Elon Musk on the nose in Europe as drivers ditch Tesla
By David Crowe
London: Tesla boss Elon Musk has taken another blow from European consumers who are rejecting his company’s electric vehicles, with sales plunging in Germany after similar falls in other countries.
The latest results reflect gains for Chinese carmakers from the troubles at Tesla, while signalling the dislike for Musk among European voters unhappy at his support for conservative causes.
A Tesla car dealership in Berlin was doused in blue paint in March.Credit: Getty Images
Tesla sales slumped 60 per cent in June in Germany compared with the same month last year, according to results from German road traffic agency KBA. They fell 58 per cent over the six months to the end of June.
But the dramatic shift did not deliver any wins for Germany’s automotive giants, with January-to-June sales flat or slightly down at Audi, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz, and up 3.8 per cent at BMW.
The strongest trend was the boost for Chinese carmakers making inroads into the heartland of the European car industry.
While coming from a low base, January-to-June sales were up 426 per cent at BYD and 21 per cent at Polestar.
Elon Musk’s popularity has fallen among European voters unhappy at his support for conservative causes.Credit: AP
Tesla sales also fell for a sixth consecutive month in France, Sweden, Denmark and Italy, underlining the challenges facing the company. There was a glimmer of hope for the company, however, with sales rising in Norway, Spain and Portugal.
Musk, also the head of social media site X, has triggered a backlash in parts of Europe this year after a series of interventions in domestic politics.
In a visit to Germany in January, he backed a conservative party, the AfD, ahead of that country’s elections the following month.
In March, environmental activists allegedly sprayed blue paint on a Tesla dealership in Berlin, while several Tesla cars were set on fire in the country. The uptick in vandalism had been linked to a global backlash against Musk after US President Donald Trump appointed him to help slash American government spending – a role he has since stepped away from.
Tesla Takedown, a group that says it conducts legal and peaceful protests against the carmaker, said Musk was damaging the company.
“Tesla’s core audience remains climate-conscious consumers who are actively repelled by his support for the far right and climate deniers,” said Theodora Sutcliffe of Tesla Takedown UK.
“That’s particularly the case in Germany, where the Tesla marque is clearly a badge of shame.”
Musk also sparked controversy in Britain in January by blaming Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for a scandal over grooming gangs that preyed on young girls. In a separate intervention, he said the leader of the Reform party in the UK, Nigel Farage, should quit.
Polling company YouGov found in January that 71 per cent of voters in Germany and the same number in the UK had a negative view of the Tesla chief.
A broader survey in March, polling 10,572 voters in eight countries, found that 44 per cent of respondents in France agreed “absolutely” with the idea of boycotting Tesla and another 22 per cent backed it less stridently.
The boycott had 58 per cent support on average across the eight countries when the strong and soft support was combined, leading the French pollsters – Cluster 17 in partnership with le Grand Continent – to predict a financial impact on Musk.
“This mass rejection of the head of X – including in countries that are less hostile to the Trump administration such as Poland and Romania – could have a lasting impact on his business activities and companies,” the pollsters said.
The German Association of the Automotive Industry did not comment on Tesla, but pointed to the broader growth in electric vehicles and the strong market share for their own major brands.
“German manufacturers are particularly strong in their home market,” a spokeswoman said.
“A good seven out of 10 e-cars registered in Germany are from German manufacturers. In Europe, the figure is around one in two.”
The burnt-out remains of a Tesla car after an apparent arson attack in Berlin in March.Credit: Getty Images
The “e-car” term can apply to a hybrid as well as a fully electric vehicle.
The results in Europe contrast with a slowing of the EV market in Australia, where sales fell 4.5 per cent in the first six months of this year when measured by volume.
The head of the Electric Vehicle Association of England, Vicky Edmonds, said the UK market continued to grow.
Tesla reported quarterly results on Wednesday, showing global vehicle sales fell 13.5 per cent in the three months to the end of June. On Thursday, the US Congress passed laws to stop tax credits for EVs as part of the “big beautiful bill” put forward by Trump.
Tesla shares closed at $US312.72 on Thursday, down from a high of $US479.86 in December.
With Reuters
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