Is Musk to Blame?
Tesla, once the rockstar of the electric vehicle (EV) world, is now facing a spectacular nosedive in sales. From being the cool kid that made EVs sexy, to becoming the awkward uncle at the family barbecue who won’t stop ranting about MAGA — January 2025 has been a brutal wake-up call. In just a month, Tesla has gone from the top two spots of the UK sales charts in December 2024 to completely vanishing from the top ten in January. The question: is this a natural shift towards better alternatives, or has Elon Musk’s twitchy Twitter fingers tanked his own empire?
The numbers are in, and they’re uglier than the Cybertruck. In Germany, Tesla’s sales have collapsed by 60%, despite the fact that overall EV sales in the country have boomed by 53.5%. So clearly, people still want electric cars – just not Teslas.
Over in France, sales have dropped by 63%, while Norway recorded a 38% nosedive. Even in California, Tesla’s home turf, registrations have taken a double-digit hit.
It’s hard to ignore the man behind the brand when he’s dominating headlines for all the wrong reasons. Big backing of Trump’s campaign, cosying up to Far Right groups in Germany, followed by his tone-deaf suggestion that Germany should just ‘move past’ its Nazi history, a Nazi salute on the world’s biggest stage, and then re-tweeting in support of right-wing extremist Tommy Robinson. Even Nigel Farage keeps his distance from that guy, and that’s saying something.
The backlash has been swift. German buyers are jumping ship, UK consumers are giving Tesla the cold shoulder, and across Europe and the US, Musk’s antics seem to be doing more damage to Tesla’s sales than the Chinese ever could.
Of course, there’s also the small matter of better cars now being available. For years, Tesla got away with dodgy build quality, patchy customer service, and fancy-pants pricing. But now? The market has wised up.
BYD has officially overtaken Tesla as the world’s biggest EV seller, with cheaper, better-built, and tech-packed cars. BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Volkswagen, and Stellantis have stepped up their EV game, offering vehicles that don’t come with ‘panel misalignments’ as standard.
China now produces 70% of the world’s EVs, meaning there’s a buffet of options that are more affordable.
Musk may have thought his cult-like following would protect Tesla from bad press, but customers are proving that they can and will take their money elsewhere. If a brand makes people uncomfortable, they’ll walk away—especially when there are better alternatives.
So, what do you think? Is Tesla’s downfall just a case of better competition, or is Musk himself the biggest liability? Can the company bounce back, or are we witnessing the beginning of the end for the EV brand that changed the industry? Drop your thoughts in the comments!
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