Tesla’s January new registration numbers are bleak (in Europe)

While Tesla CEO Elon Musk is off doing things that don’t involve running his car company, it appears his car company is having some issues. At least across the proverbial pond in Europe. New registration data is coming in today from the Old World and it’s bleak. Let’s get into it.

In the United Kingdom new Tesla registrations in January of 2025 are down 7.78% from the same time in 2024. Some of that could be blamed on an aging lineup and the fact the refreshed Model Y didn’t go on sale until mid-month, but overall EV registrations are up in the U.K. 41.6%.

Matters are much, much worse though on the continent. In Germany, new Tesla registrations were down 59.5%. In France, the numbers are even worse as the data shows that new Tesla registrations are down a whopping 63.4%. Let that sink in.

So what could be leading to such a sales decline for one of the world’s largest EV makers? Electric vehicles are still reasonably expensive, and while governments do incentivize the purchase, that is still a pain point. Competitors are showing up with similarly-priced and less-expensive EVs, which is likely driving the increase in EV adoption but the loss in Tesla sales. Even with the refreshed Model Y, the lineup is still also incredibly old.

But certainly, some of it comes from the CEO’s actions in the past month. He’s battled with video gamers over whether he’s one of the best in the world or just someone who pays people to play for him. He performed a Sieg Heil Na — sorry Roman — salute at a podium bearing the seal of the President of the United States. He’s also now systematically dismantling a government while using his money and influence to do the same thing in Europe by supporting the far-right AfD party in Germany.

Nah, that can’t have anything to do with it.