Tesla, 76% Drop in Sales in Germany in February

Sales of Tesla, the American electric vehicle company, in Germany have plummeted to a quarter of what they were a year ago.

According to the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) on the 5th (local time), 1,429 Tesla vehicles were newly registered last month, a 76.3% decrease compared to February last year (6,038 units). During this period, the overall market share of Tesla vehicles dropped from 2.8% to 0.7%.

On the other hand, competitors such as China's BYD registered 185 new vehicles, an increase of 96.8%, and Polestar saw a 60.4% increase with 263 new registrations. The total number of electric vehicles registered last month was 35,949, up 30.8% from a year earlier.

Tesla is struggling due to the unfavorable image of its CEO Elon Musk, who is considered a close ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump. Since Trump's election in November last year, Musk has publicly supported far-right parties across Europe, including Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD), sparking controversy over political interference.

Earlier, Tesla registrations in Europe in January were 9,945 units, a 45% decrease compared to January last year. In Germany, the sales decline in January was 59.5% year-on-year. The February shipment volume from the Chinese factory, announced the day before, also recorded 30,688 units, down 49.2% from last year, marking the lowest since August 2022.