Skids on Tesla sales in two European countries after Elon Musk wades into politics
Skids on Tesla sales in two European countries after Elon Musk wades into politics
Share:
Tesla lost market share in two European countries in January, car registration data showed on Monday after its boss Elon Musk’s high-profile foray into politics. A total of 405 new Teslas were registered in Sweden last month, down 44% from January of 2024. Registrations in Norway fell to 689, a decline of 38% over the same period, despite soaring overall demand for cars in the two countries. While Tesla’s Model Y crossover SUV was the most sold car in both of the two Nordic countries in 2024, the group’s image has taken a hit in recent weeks, a market sentiment survey by Sweden’s Novus Group found according to Swedish news agency TT.
In addition to his strong backing for US President Donald Trump, Musk has also waded into European politics drawing criticism from Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere. He said that he found it worrying that billionaire Musk was involving himself in the political issues of countries outside of the United States. Musk has endorsed the Far Right German anti-immigration party, Alternative fur Deutschland, ahead of a parliamentary election in February, and has repeatedly attacked British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, calling on him to resign, and claiming there will be “civil war” in the UK due to its immigration and border policies.
Despite his barbed interventions, there are no signs yet that they are hitting Tesla sales in the UK. They were up 57 per cent in December, compared to a year earlier, to 8,645 new registrations, according to Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Sales of particular cars can go up and down, for a variety of reason, and there is no confirmed link between Musk’s comments and Tesla sales. Musk, who has been appointed to co-lead a Department of Government Efficiency by Trump and also runs the X social media platform, has dismissed criticism against him as an affront to democracy and free speech.
The share of Swedes having a positive view of Tesla declined to 11% in a Novus survey conducted after Trump’s inauguration from 19% in a similar poll conducted Jan. 15-17, while those who said they had a negative view rose to 63% from 47%, TT reported. Tesla’s decline came despite soaring overall auto sales in the two countries, with Swedish car registrations increasing by 14% year-on-year in January while the Norwegian market grew by 82%, boosted by rising economic optimism.
