Europeans shun Tesla as April sales plummet | Breaking News & Latest South Africa Updates

Europeans shun Tesla as April sales plummet — Tesla's sales plunged in Europe in April, including an 81% drop in Sweden to their lowest levels in two-and-a-half years, data showed on Friday as E...

Tesla's sales plunged in Europe in April, including an 81% drop in Sweden to their lowest levels in two-and-a-half years, data showed on Friday as Europeans buy more Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) and protest against CEO Elon Musk's political views.

The carmaker's sales have dropped for four straight months in much of Europe. For the first quarter, sales of all fully-electric cars rose 28% in Europe while Tesla's sales slumped 37.2%.

In Sweden, Tesla's new car sales in April fell by 80.7% to their lowest levels since October 2022. Its sales in the Netherlands fell 73.8% to their weakest for that month since 2022 and were down 33% in Portugal, a bigger drop than the previous month.

Sales in Denmark recorded a 67.2% drop, data showed on Thursday, while France reported a 59.4% fall.

The sales figures will increase doubts about whether the launch of a revamped Model Y in some countries can revive Tesla's fortunes in Europe.

Car buyers can already order a new Model Y across much of Europe, but Tesla's websites in Germany, Britain, France and Italy all say estimated deliveries will start in June. It will take a few months before sales data shows if the updated version of the car has won back consumers.

Tesla is battling increased competition from traditional carmaker rivals while new Chinese entrants are launching new and often cheaper EVs.

“Tesla's technological lead has largely been eroded with the model line-up,” said Andy Leyland, co-founder of supply chain specialist SC Insights. “Competition from legacy car and Chinese entrants will be weighing on sales.”

Musk, a close ally ofUS President Donald Trump, has been involved in the department of government efficiency, leading efforts to cut federal jobs. But he said last week he would cut back on the time he devotes to the Trump administration and spend more time running Tesla.

The company's first-quarter car revenue slumped by a fifth and net profit plunged 71%, both missing Wall Street estimates.

On Thursday its chair Robyn Denholm denied a Wall Street Journal report that said board members were looking for a new CEO.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Musk'sembrace of far-right politicsin Europe has led to protests against the billionaire CEO and the company, as well as vandalism at its showrooms and charging stations in the US and Europe.

“The brand has taken a reputational hit in Europe,” said Electrifying.com CEO Ginny Buckley, adding 59% of respondents to its recent survey said Musk has made them less likely to buy a Tesla.

The brand sold 203 vehicles in Sweden in April, data from Mobility Sweden showed.

In the Netherlands, it sold 382 cars in April, based on data released by car industry bodies BOVAG, RAI Vereniging and RDC.

Tesla's sales in Portugal were down to 302 vehicles in April, industry association ACAP said, while sales in Norway rose by 11.8% to 976 cars, based on Norwegian Road Federation data.

Tesla sold 28.2% fewer cars in March in Europe, based on data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association published last month.

Other European countries, including Italy, will release April car sales data on Friday.

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