Tesla sales hit lowest since 2021 in France and Sweden amid ‘Takedown Tesla’ protests against Elon Musk

With the ongoing Tesla Takedown protests across the United States and Europe, the sales of the Elon Musk-owned EV company in France and Sweden have fallen for the third consecutive month in March on a year-on-year basis, resulting in the lowest first-quarter sales in the two countries since 2021, according to a report by Reuters.

The world's richest man and US President Donald Trump's close aide Musk has received flak over supporting far-right parties in Europe. This has contributed to low sales of Tesla cars before the much-anticipated launch of its new Model Y mid-size SUV, the report said.

Impact on global Tesla sales

According to analysts, France, Sweden, and other important European markets are key indicators of Tesla's global first-quarter deliveries and consumer sentiment towards the brand.

In March, Tesla reported 3,157 car sales in France and 911 in Sweden down to 36.83% and 63.9% from the previous year. Additionally, the quarterly sales dropped to 6,693 in France and 1,929 in Sweden.

The market share of the company reduced to 1.63% in the quarter ending March and lost ground to BYD and other Chinese EV makers, whose total market share grew to 3.19%.

Issues with Tesla

Elon Musk's EV brand is currently facing several challenges in Europe. Compared to other automakers, Tesla has a smaller lineup of products. Additionally, it is believed that Elon Musk's support for far-right parties in Europe, including the national-conservative political party in Germany, Alternative for Germany (AfD), had an impact on Tesla sales.

“In the United States, the strategy would be to leverage, would be to tie to patriotism and shift to the right,” Eric Schiffer, chief executive of private equity firm the Patriarch Organization in Los Angeles told Reuters.

“The European strategy is going to be more challenged and will need to be more about the value and competitive differences with the market there,” he added.

Takedown Tesla protests

Following Elon Musk's support to right-wing parties, Tesla cars have been vandalised in many countries along with Takedown Tesla protests planned across Europe and the US. Musk informed on Monday that an overnight fire in a Tesla store in Rome damaged 17 cars.