Tesla's sales in Europe dropped nearly 50% last month.
But if Elon Musk continues to draw fire for political
entanglements, will Tesla ever regain its standing with global
consumers? So we're going to talk about
Tesla's sharp fall of April 2025 European sales.
Today, we're going to explore the impact of Elon Musk's
involvement with the Trump administration and how it
affected Tesla. And we're going to talk about
the outdated line up and factory shutdowns that are affecting
performance and examine how buyer sentiment is shifting in
the electric vehicle market right now.
So Tesla only sold 7261 cars across 32 European countries in
April of 2025, compared to 14,228 a year earlier.
That's a 49% drop. And it came even as the overall
EV market in the region grew by 28%, according to European
Automobile Manufacturers Association, or the ACEA.
Now the contrast raises serious questions about why Tesla is
shrinking while its competitors are growing.
A protest against Elon Musk's are playing a key role.
In the last few months, demonstrators have shown up at
Tesla dealerships in several European cities calling for
boycotts in response to Musk's work with the Department of
Government Efficiency, or DOGE, under President Donald Trump.
Now, the group has been criticized for massive federal
workforce cuts and several lawsuits, and activists are
targeting Tesla because of Musk's deep financial ties to
the company. Now, Tesla's first quarter
earnings missed Wall Street forecasts by a wide margin.
The company's revenue dropped 9% and profit collapsed 71%.
CEO Elon Musk blamed the numbers on a factory retooling process
to update the Model Y, Tesla's top selling car.
He said that factories were temporarily shut down to launch
a refreshed version and added that the first quarter is the
best time for such changes due to seasonally weaker demand.
Now, April's sales suggest otherwise.
Tesla's sales fell dramatically in many countries, with Sweden,
Denmark and the Netherlands posting the steepest declines.
In some of these markets, Tesla sales dropped as much as 80% of
this happened, while competitors, especially Chinese
automakers, saw sales climb. SAICA, Chinese company that owns
the MG brand, recorded a 54% increase in April sales.
European buyers are increasingly drawn to M GS cheaper electric
models, which are seen as more affordable and more frequently
updated than Tesla's offerings. Tesla's product lineup has
barely changed in years, which is hurting its ability to
compete with Chinese brands now. Tesla also had to shut down
factories for several weeks this year to upgrade to the Model Y.
While necessary, these shutdowns limited inventory during a time
when demand was already cooling. Many buyers simply chose to look
at other cars. European trade tensions with the
US were also souring the market for American made vehicles.
Donald Trump's threats to impose a 50% tariff on EU goods have
further damaged Tesla's appeal in Europe.
Though the tariffs have been delayed until July, they've
already added friction to Tesla's presence in a region
where political relationships influence buying habits.
And year to date, Tesla's European sales fell about 39%,
totaling 61,320 vehicles in the first four months of 2025.
Over the same time period, the European car market remained
flat, with battery electric sales rising and gas and diesel
models declining. Tesla's drop stands out because
it goes against the direction of the wider market.
Now, Elon Musk insists that his political involvement is not
affecting Tesla's brand. He questions how much buyers
really care about CE OS political views, but organized
protests and declining sales numbers suggest otherwise.
Musk's alliance with controversial political figures
is becoming harder to ignore for many customers.
Now. Tesla's fall matters for anyone
watching the EV market. If you're in the market for a
vehicle for an EV especially, they have more choices now.
And many are selecting brands that offer not just good
technology but also a sense of neutrality or values alignment.
Now, if Tesla and Elon Musk continue to lose trust of their
customers and may not matter how good the cars are because people
will buy a vehicle due to what Musk has done politically, the
sales are falling for Tesla while other EV demands are
growing. And these numbers suggest that
Elon Musk's political image has done real damage to the Tesla
brand.