By Nick Carey
LONDON (Reuters) -Tesla’s sales plunged in October in Norway, Sweden and Denmark in the latest sign that the U.S. electric vehicle maker’s European struggles continue, but the company posted a small gain in France for the second consecutive month.
The automaker’s new car registrations – a proxy for sales – dropped 89% in Sweden, 86% in Denmark and 50% in Norway. Tesla had seen sales rise in a number of European markets in September after falling for most of this year.
Tesla’s sales rose almost 2.4% in France, slightly below the 2.9% growth in total sales in that market.
The drop in Norway came after several months of growth in a market where almost all new cars sold were EVs and Tesla has remained the country’s largest automaker.
Tesla has been hit by falling sales in Europe this year because it has a small, ageing lineup of models at a time when legacy manufacturers and Chinese rivals are releasing new EV models at a rapid clip. Through September Tesla’s sales were down 28.5% in Europe versus the first nine months of 2024.
The company has also faced a backlash from some European consumers against CEO Elon Musk, who helped bankroll Donald Trump’s U.S. presidential election victory last year and has championed European far-right parties.
In Denmark, Tesla was outsold by several Chinese EV brands, including BYD, Xpeng and Geely’s Zeekr.
“Car buyers have more choice than ever, with an influx of new EVs from established manufacturers and ambitious newcomers from China,” said Ginny Buckley, CEO of electric-car buying and advice site Electrifying.com. “Tesla no longer has the market to itself and that seems to be showing in its sales figures in Europe.”
In Sweden, Tesla sold just 133 vehicles, lagging not just mainstream brands but also luxury German automaker Porsche, which sold 172 cars. Through October, Tesla’s sales in Sweden are down 67% versus the same period last year.
(Reporting By Nick Carey; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
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