(CTN News) – The drop in new Tesla car sales in Europe last month raises the possibility of consumer backlash against Elon Musk’s controversial and well-known behaviour since he rose to prominence in Donald Trump’s administration.

The Texas-based electric vehicle manufacturer sold less than 16,000 vehicles in Europe last month, according to research platform Jato Dynamics. Among 25 countries, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Switzerland, this data shows an average decrease of 44%.

Tesla’s market share fell to 9.6% in February, the lowest percentage for the month in the previous five years. Europe’s January sales fell by 45%, from 18,161 in 2024 to 9,945 the following month.

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the number of new Tesla car registrations in the UK increased by more than 21% in February. After the Mini Cooper, the Model 3 and Model Y were ranked as the second and third most popular cars, respectively.

Investors and analysts are evaluating how Musk’s political involvement may affect the automaker, where he serves as CEO. This comes as there are signs that Musk’s prominent presence in Trump’s administration is causing some Tesla owners or potential buyers to react negatively. Dealerships that sell Tesla automobiles have hosted demonstrations.

A close adviser to President Trump and an entrepreneur in the technology sector has defended the far-right AfD party in Germany, displayed a “chainsaw of democracy” at a conservative event, and claimed that prominent politicians like Keir Starmer are trying to hide the problem of gang grooming.

Sales may have changed because Tesla redesigned the Model Y.

“Tesla is currently going through a significant transition,” said Felipe Muñoz, a worldwide analyst at Jato Dynamics.

Elon Musk’s increased political involvement and the growing competition in the electric car industry are the reasons behind the company’s decision to terminate the current generation of the Model Y, its best-selling vehicle, before the introduction of the next model.

According to the writer, “Brands such as Tesla, with a comparatively restricted model lineup, are particularly susceptible to declines in registrations during a model transition.”

According to the research agency’s February data, Tesla’s rivals made notable progress in Europe over the previous month.

Volkswagen reported that sales of battery-electric vehicles increased by 180% to over 20,000 units. In comparison, during the previous month, BMW and Mini sold 19,000 of these cars between them.

Chinese investor-owned BYD announced a 94% rise in sales in Europe, surpassing 4,000 devices sold. With sales of over $100 billion (£83 billion) worldwide last year, BYD became the largest electric vehicle manufacturer in the world by revenue. In the past, Tesla was in the lead in this regard.

BYD reported 777 billion yuan (£86 billion) in revenue for 2024, the year after it last surpassed Tesla in global yearly revenues in 2018. This exceeds the predictions of industry experts and marks 29% year-over-year growth.

Tesla reported $97.7 billion in revenue for the prior year.

With 1.76 million and 1.79 million sales of electric vehicles in 2024, respectively, BYD and Tesla are almost equal. On the other hand, when BYD’s additional hybrid car sales are taken into consideration, the total rises considerably.

Polestar, which is mostly owned by Geely, Volvo’s parent company, reported an 84% increase, meaning that nearly 2,000 cars were manufactured.

BYD sold 4.27 million cars in the previous year, which is almost equal to Ford’s 4.5 million sales. This year, the company expects sales between $5 million and $6 million. The Hong Kong-listed company’s market capitalisation was over 160 billion dollars at the beginning of the year, indicating an approximate 50% increase.

Tesla’s current market capitalisation is $780 billion, even if the company’s share price fell by a third in 2025. Tesla’s stock increased 6% on Monday, following a 2% gain in the Nasdaq index as a whole.

In February, the total number of automobiles sold in the UK, Norway, Switzerland, and all 25 EU markets fell by 3% to 970,000 units. On the other hand, there was a 25% increase in the number of battery electric car registrations.

SOURCE: TG