The only good news for Tesla in the Old Continent are a boost in sales in Norway and Spain – everywhere else sales are dropping sharply
by Brad Anderson
1 hour ago
- Tesla registrations dropped 62 percent in the Netherlands during July.
- Sales also slumped in Belgium, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, France, and Italy.
- Its European market share fell from 21.6 percent to 14.5 percent in two months
Tesla’s struggles in Europe are becoming harder to ignore and the outlook doesn’t appear to be improving anytime soon. A combination of factors, including Elon Musk’s polarizing public image, rising competition from established automakers, and the rapid emergence of Chinese EV brands, has led to a sharp decline in the brand’s popularity across several key European markets. As a result, its local market share has taken a significant hit.
New data reveals the extent of the damage. In July, Tesla registrations in the Netherlands dropped 62 percent year-over-year to 443 vehicles. In Belgium, they fell 58 percent to 460, and in Portugal, they declined 49 percent to just 284 units.
The impact was even more severe in Sweden, where registrations fell 86 percent to 163 vehicles. Denmark and France also saw steep drops of 52 percent and 27 percent, with Tesla selling 336 and 1,307 units in those markets, respectively.
Read: Tesla’s European Sales Bloodbath Continues, But One Country Is Over Hating Musk
Sales continued to slip in Italy as well, down 5 percent year-over-year to 457 vehicles. As noted by Reuters, sales declines in these major nations in not only July, but also in June, have also seen Tesla’s battery-electric vehicle market share fall from 21.6 percent to 14.5 percent.
Can Tesla Turn Things Around?
Amid the downturn, there were a couple of bright spots. In Norway, Tesla registrations surged 83 percent to 838 vehicles, helped in part by the introduction of 0 percent interest loans. Spain also saw a modest uptick, with sales rising 27 percent to 702 units.
Despite the challenges, Musk remains optimistic that Tesla can stage a rebound in Europe. While recently speaking with analysts, he said that the region’s stricter regulations on semi-autonomous driving systems make it harder to sell the Model Y than in the US.
“Our sales in Europe, we think, will improve significantly once we are able to give customers the same experience that they have in the U.S.,” he explained, citing Full Self-Driving capabilities as “a huge selling point” in the American market.
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