Europeans Shun Tesla, Even as Electric Vehicle Sales Rise

Tesla sales in Germany and Britain fell to their lowest point in more than two years in April, cementing a wider trend of Europeans shunning the U.S. automaker, despite growing demand for battery-powered vehicles in Europe.

Registrations of new Tesla vehicles dropped nearly 46 percent in Germany and 62 percent in Britain from a year earlier, although both countries reported increases in the number of electric vehicles sold in the same period, according to statistics released on Tuesday.

Other European countries reported similar drops in demand for Tesla’s products, with new registrations in Sweden plunging more than 80 percent, while demand in France fell more than 59 percent.

Some experts have pointed out that deliveries of the newest version of Tesla’s popular Model Y have not begun fully rolling out in Europe, which could be contributing to the decline.

But others say the latest numbers are proof that the backlash against President Trump’s tariffs, which is fueling a European push to shun U.S. products, and anger at Tesla’s chief executive, Elon Musk, for supporting far-right parties, are taking their toll.

“European April veri is strongly indicating that this is more than a model changeover blip, and Tesla’s European issues are more deeply rooted and stemming from Mr. Musk,” said Matthias Schmidt, an analyst who covers the European auto market at Schmidt Automotive Research.