Elon Musk advances in politics, but on the business side, it's a bit of a dry breakdown. While he sets himself off in chief of the DOGE department and made gringe on the far right German, his businesses suffer. In particular Tesla, who collects an unprecedented tumble in Europe. Between fierce competition, a waiting effect on Model Y and an image dorned by the boss's escapades, the brand is in full turns.
Tesla: Sales collapse in Europe
Nothing is going well for Tesla by Elon Musk in Europe. The figures for January 2025 have something to give cold sweats: -47.7 % registration Compared to the previous year. Some markets are in free fall, such as Spain (-75.4 %), France (-63.4 %) or Germany (-59 %).
Even in Californiabrand's historic stronghold, Tesla loses 12 %.
This sinking is not due to chance. First of all, Competition has woken up. Goodbye the start of the beginnings, traditional manufacturers are seriously put in electric cars. Volkswagen offers a model at € 20,000while Dacia is a hit with her Spring.
Result: Tesla, formerly essential, finds herself fighting on a market that has become fierce.
Then, a recurring problem was still manifested: the lack of stock. Faithful to her habit, Tesla emptied her warehouses at the end of the year to boost her balance sheets, leaving exsangue January. Worse, The restyled model is not yet available in all its versionswhich pushes buyers to wait.
Suffice to say that Tesla concessions are currently resembling deserts.
Elon Musk, the pebble in his own shoe
If Tesla cars sell less, it's also because of … Elon Musk himself. In Europe, his political positions make your teeth cringe. In Germany, where Tesla has its only European factory, Musk has chosen to support AFDa far -right party with nauseating ideas.
He even offered Alice Weidel, one of her figure figures, a 75 -minute forum on X, his social network. Suffice to say that it does not pass.
Tesla's potential buyers turn away from it en masse. A British survey indicates that 59 % of electric cars lovers would be cooled at the idea of buying a vehicle struck by the musk seal. A German entrepreneur even had to produce stickers indicating: ” I bought this car before Elon went crazy ».
Given the influx of orders, he has something to rub his hands.
But Musk remains focused on another subject: vehicle autonomy. The famous Wood Cathie, patron of the Arkk fund, predicts that Autonomous taxis will cost $ 0.25 The mile in ten years, against $ 2 to 3 for Uber or Lyft.
Musk therefore bets everything on this technology rather than improving its current models. A choice that could well cost him.
The saving of electric cars in turbulence
Beyond the Tesla case, the electric cars market is going through a hectic period. In Germany and France, sales slowed down after the abolition of certain government subsidies. However, the global market has resumed the hair of the beast, with A 50 % increase in electricity sales in Germany over a year. But Tesla does not take advantage of it: its market share collapses, going from 14 % to only 4 %.
Furthermore, a other report comes to taint the brand's image: Tesla holds the highest fatal accident rate Among all car manufacturers. According to a FARS study, its cars display a rate of 5.6 fatal accidents per billion miles traveled, double the average.
The Tesla Model Y, the brand's bestseller, even reached a worrying record with a rate of 10.6.
Experts, however, insist: these figures do not mean that the Tesla are poorly designed. They are full of safety technologies and are even rewarded with independent organizations. But a powerful vehicle is not everything: an inattentive driver or too confident in the “autopilot” remains a public danger.
Despite this dark painting, everything is not lost for Tesla. Admittedly, the brand suffers on the automotive market, but it has found a providential source of income: Bitcoin. Thanks to judicious investments, Tesla has collected a colossal profit of $ 600 million on its cryptocurrency reserves in the fourth quarter of 2024. What amortize the fall in sales and keep a step ahead … while waiting for better days for its cars electric.
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