Tesla Sales Drop By 50% Across Europe

Tesla’s Europe sales dropped by over half in some major EU countries and the UK. In April, UK sales dropped 62% and 46% in Germany. Total German sales were only 885 for the month. These are the two largest car markets in the region.

Unit sales dropped 81% in Sweden in April year over year. They were down 74% in The Netherlands, 67% in Hungary, 59% in France, and 36% in Spain. Bloomberg reports, “The slump continuing into April suggests that Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s antics and work for US President Donald Trump is costing Tesla sales, despite the company sprucing up its lineup.”

US Sales Trouble

These drops add to a slide in Tesla sales in the US, where its market share dropped below 50% in the first quarter. It is being chased by GM, Ford, Hyundai/Kia, and others. In China, the world’s largest car and EV market, Tesla faces overwhelming competition from local EV companies led by BYD. BYD is locked out of the US and much of the EU by tariffs. However, BYD is attacking other large car markets like Brazil.

Musk faces Herculean work to turn Tesla around. Its stock is down 30% this year. The S&P, by contrast, is down 7%,

Tesla’s challenge is more of a brand and image problem than a product one. However, the most likely chance It has to recover is whether it can show it has a large lead in the introduction of self-driving cars. Chinese EV companies say they are close to a complete solution. In the US, Alphabet’s Waymo says it will commercialize products in the market within two years.

Whether Tesla can transform the car industry—which it has done before—will reverse the Tesla sales problem in Europe.