
In This Story
Tesla is probably thrilled May is over.
Elon Musk’s EV company saw major sales slumps last month across Europe — a trend the company says will reverse once it starts delivering its new Model Y to more markets.
Sales in Britain, Germany and Italy fell for the fifth month in a row in May, according to Reuters. In the U.K., the automaker saw a 45% year-over-year decline. Tesla (TSLA) also saw a year-over-year sales decrease of 68% in Portugal, 67% in France, 53.7% in Sweden, 30.5% in Denmark, 36% in the Netherlands, and 19% in Spain for the month.
The lackluster sales comes as Musk has taken his far-right politics across the pond, getting involved in European politics and turning off some customers in the process.
A spokesperson for Tesla in England told Reuters that the company expects to see sales rise again in June when new deliveries for the Model Y — Europe’s most-purchased car in 2023 — start shipping from its Berlin factory.
Deliveries of Tesla’s made in China, which are shipped domestically and internationally, also fell, Reuters reported. Chinese-made Tesla vehicles saw a 15% decline in deliveries in May year-over-year, following a 6% decrease in April.
The decline is happening alongside increased European interest in Chinese EV maker BYD’s (BYDDY) cars, which are more often affordable.
But there was some good news. In Norway, where it is delivering new Model Y vehicles, Tesla saw a 213% increase in May year-over-year.
“Tesla’s strong performance in Norway points to the way forward for the company: innovate,” Ben Nelmes of EV analysis firm New AutoMotive told Reuters. “No car company can rest on its laurels and be guaranteed success.”
Tesla did not immediately return a request for comment.