Electric vehicle sales in Europe surged in April, but Tesla's sales plummeted by 49% against the trend
In April, electric vehicle sales in Europe grew by 27.8%, but Tesla's sales plummeted by 49% year-on-year. Despite overall car sales remaining basically flat, Tesla's brand image failed to improve due to the Model Y upgrade, leading to a continued decline in sales and a market share drop to 0.7%. Intensified competition and consumer aversion to Musk's political views have resulted in a four-month consecutive decline in Tesla's sales. The overall registration of electric vehicles accounted for 59.2% of passenger car registrations, up from 47.7% in the same period last year
Electric vehicle sales in Europe surged in April, but Tesla's sales plummeted by 49%
Reuters, May 27 - American electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla TSLA.O saw its sales in the European market drop by 49% year-on-year in April, despite a 27.8% increase in overall electric vehicle sales in Europe, as Tesla's upgrade of the Model Y failed to improve the brand's damaged image in the region.
Data released by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) shows that overall car sales in the region remained basically flat compared to last year, with only a slight decline of 0.3%, while sales of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles saw the strongest growth.
Tesla's declining sales in Europe reflect a growing distance from consumers due to intensified competition from Chinese automakers and some opposition to Elon Musk's political views.
Amid U.S. tariffs on imported cars and a global economic slowdown, European automakers are striving to cut domestic costs and cope with competition; although tensions in U.S.-China trade have eased, uncertainty still looms over the industry's outlook.
ACEA data shows that car sales in the EU, the UK, and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) fell to 1.07 million units in April, compared to a 2.8% increase in March.
Chinese state-owned automaker SAIC Motor 600104.SS and Japan's Mitsubishi 7211.T saw their vehicle registrations increase by 24.5% and 22.1%, respectively, while Mazda MAZD.NS saw a decline of 24.5%.
Tesla's sales have declined for the fourth consecutive month, down 49% year-on-year, with its market share nearly halving from 1.3% a year ago to 0.7%.
Total car sales in the EU fell by 1.2% year-on-year in April, marking the fourth consecutive month of decline, while registrations of battery electric vehicles (BEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) grew by 26.4%, 7.8%, and 20.8%, respectively. The total sales of electric vehicles, including these three categories, accounted for 59.2% of passenger car registrations, up from 47.7% in the same period last year
