Tesla sales are falls, even in the most friendly place for EV

If there is somewhere that Tesla should prosper, it is Norway. Electric vehicles represent more than 90 percent of new car sales in the Scandinavian country, and buyers here are among the most sophisticated in the world when it comes to understanding the nuances of batteries, loading and reach.

Therefore, it is barely a good omen for Tesla that its sales in Norway have decreased more than 12 percent so far this year. Sales for the first three months of the year were still worse in Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Sweden.

In fact, Tesla's sales have been in a downward trend worldwide: the company said Wednesday that its global sales in the first quarter fell 13 percent compared to the previous year.

Tesla said he delivered almost 337,000 cars during the quarter, below 387,000 in the first three months of 2024. Warm sales reflected a series of serious problems in the company, among no less a violent reaction against the prominent role that Elon Musk, the executive director, is playing in the Trump administration.

Geir Rognlien Elgvin, an urban planner of the city of Oslo, bought his first Tesla in 2013, months after they presented themselves in Norway. He has toured the company's gigafactory battery in Nevada. He met Mr. Musk when the executive was still known for wanting to address climate change with electric cars and his rocket company, Spacex.

But when Mr. Musk went to right -wing policy, Mr. Elgvin's enthusiasm decreased. And worried about the company's data security policy.

Several months ago, he changed his tesla for a battery charge bicycle and a shared electric volkswagen. “I would never drive a Tesla again,” he said. “It is a matter of ethics.”

Last year, Tesla represented almost a quarter of car sales in Norway, much more than any other car manufacturer. But in the first two months of this year, Tesla fell to third place behind Volkswagen and Toyota. Teslas represented only 9 percent of new cars sold, less than half of their market share a year earlier.

For Tesla, the decrease in the most advanced electric vehicle market in the world is sinister, pointing out problems to come elsewhere. “Norway is always a good place to look to the future,” said Will Roberts, who follows electric vehicles in Rho Motion, a research firm.

There are several explanations for Tesla's sales decline. The company depends on two models, the model utilitarian vehicle and Sport and the Model 3 sedan, for almost all its sales. The Cybertruck truck, the newest and polarizing model of Tesla, has been plagued with retreats and has not been sold as well as Mr. Musk predicted that he would.

Tesla once established the standard of battery rank, software and assistance technology for controllers. But traditional car manufacturers have become more experts in the construction of electric vehicles and have begun to reach Tesla in technology. Competitors such as Volkswagen, Volvo, BMW, and, outside the United States, Byd, Xpeng and other Chinese manufacturers, offer a diverse selection of luxury sedans, minivans, pills and compact cars.

“Tesla almost all these years has been alone in Europe and the United States,” said Felipe Muñoz, a global analyst at Jato Dynamics, a research firm. “That is no longer the case.”

Part of the decrease in sales could be due to buyers who are waiting for an improved version of the model and said analysts. The deliveries of that version began in March in Norway, which perhaps explains why the company's sales last month fell only 1 percent since March 2024.

But Mr. Muñoz pointed out that the sales of Model 3, which was updated in 2023, have also fallen, although not so much.

In February, records in Europe of the model and older fell by 56 percent, while the records of model 3 fell by 14 percent, according to Jato. The decreases occurred despite the fact that general sales of electric vehicles in Europe increased 25 percent.

Musk's support for right -wing parties in Europe and his role as cost cutter in chief of President Trump have not helped the image of Tesla. It has been the focus of protests in the United States and Europe, and their activities have alienated some clients. Buyers of electric vehicles in most countries bowed politically.

“I hate Musk, I hate Trump, I hate this whole company,” said Kao Leu, a 75 -year -old resident from the New York Harlem neighborhood who was protesting outside a Manhattan Tesla dealership last week.

In Sweden, the largest insurer in the country, Folksam, said Wednesday that he had sold his participation in the American car manufacturer because the Tesla approach to employee rights violated the company's investment criteria. Folksam had been invested in Tesla since 2013 and its participation was worth 1.6 billion Krona Swedish, or $ 160 million.

Mechanics with the union Si Metall has been on strike in Sweden for more than a year, for the refusal of Tesla to sign a collective agreement.

More than anger, many Norwegians feel ashamed to support a company that they consider to turn on their commitment to improve personal transport for the planet and whose executive director says he has abandoned the principles of democracy.

Andrea Fresk Tesla is covered with a thick layer of winter, a state of negligence that said she reflected her ambivalence towards the vehicle that she and her husband obtained a 10 -year loan to buy in 2019.

After Musk bought the twitter social media company, he began to feel increasingly embarrassed for owning Tesla, but worsened after Musk became a regular presence in the Trump administration.

“Then it became really difficult to defend having this car,” Mrs. Fresk, a psychologist for Public Family Services in Norway.

Some of his friends have already sold his Teslas, he said. But because she and her husband are still paying the car and works without problems, she is not replacing it for now.

Reborn, the largest used car dealership in Norway, has seen an increase in the number of drivers who sell their teslas in recent months. But that means that prices are low and, despite the “shame of Tesla”, sales have been fast.

“I have had many customers worried about Tesla,” said William Oestby, a Rebil seller. But when he questions them about the price, the rank, the size and transport capacity they are looking for, he said, Tesla is usually the best offer offered. “It's hard to find something that compares,” he said.

That can change soon. During the next two years, Ford Motor, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and other car manufacturers will present their next generation of electric vehicles. These cars, some that will be on sale before the end of this year, will incorporate advances in battery technology that allow a greater management range and a faster load. These car manufacturers say that their cars will be better than what Tesla is offering.

Traditional automobile manufacturers “have made many progress,” Roberts de Rho Motion said. “Previously, consumers could have fought to find other options that
Tesla who really competed. That now is not the case. “

Anusha Bayya contributed to reports from New York and Henrik PRSER LIBELL Of Oslo.