If there is anywhere Tesla it should flourish, 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 shades of batteries, charging and range.
Therefore, it does not matter to Tesla that its sales in Norway has decreased more than 12 % so far this year. Sales for the first three months of the year were even worse in Denmark, France, Netherlands and Sweden. Analysts expect the downward trend reflected when the company mentions its worldwide sales for the first quarter on Wednesday.
Wall Street analysts expect Tesla traditions worldwide decreased since last year, reflecting quite serious problems, and in particular a reaction of consumers against the prominent role played by Elon Musk’s chief executive.
Geir Rognlien Elgvin, an urban designer with the city of Oslo, bought his first Tesla in 2013, months after their introduction to Norway. It has browned Gigafactory’s battery in Nevada. He met with Mr Musk when the executive was still mainly known for the desire to face climate change with electric cars and his missile company, SpaceX.
But as Mr Musk ran to the right politics, Mr Elgvin’s excitement disappeared. And was worried about the company’s data security policy.
Several months ago, he changed his Tesla for a battery cargo bike and a common electric Volkswagen. “I would never drive a Tesla again,” he said. “It’s a matter of ethics.”
Last year, Tesla represented almost a quarter of car sales in Norway, much more than any other automaker. But in the first two months of this year, Tesla fell third in the third place behind Volkswagen and Toyota. Teslas was just 9 % of the new cars sold, less than half of its market share a year earlier.
For Tesla, the reduction of the most advanced electric vehicles in the world is ominous, signaling problems that come elsewhere. “Norway is always a good place to look at the future,” said Will Roberts, who follows the electric vehicles in Rho Motion, a research company.
There are several explanations for the decline in Tesla sales. The company depends on two models, the Model Y Sport Utility vehicle and the 3 sedan model, for almost all its sales. Cybertruck’s receipt, Tesla’s youngest and most polarized model, has been infected with the recalls and has not sold, as Mr Musk predicted he would do so.
Tesla once put the standard for the battery, software and technology area for the driver. But traditional highways have become more experienced in building electric vehicles and have begun to cover Tesla in technology. Competitors such as Volkswagen, Volvo, BMW – and, outside the United States, BYD, Xpeng and other Chinese manufacturers – offer a variety of luxury sedans, minivans, pickups and compact cars.
“Tesla has been alone in Europe and the US for almost all these years,” said Felipe Munoz, a worldwide analyst of Jato Dynamics, a research company. “This is not the case anymore.”
Some of the reduced sales could be due to buyers waiting for an upgraded version of the Y model, analysts said. Traditions of this edition began in March in Norway, which explains perhaps why the company’s sales last month declined only 1 % since March 2024.
But Mr Munoz pointed out that Model 3 sales, which were informed in 2023, have also fallen, though not so much.
In February, registrations in Europe of the older Y model decreased by 56 %, while Model 3 listings decreased by 14 %, according to Jato. The reductions occurred, although total sales of electric vehicles in Europe increased by 25 %.
Mr Musk’s support for the right parties in Europe and his role as head of President Trump did not help Tesla’s image. It has become the focus of protests around the United States and Europe and its activities have alienated some customers. Buyers of electric vehicles in most countries are leaving the left politically.
“I hate Musk, I hate Trump, I hate all this company,” said Kao Leu, a 75 -year -old New York Harlem resident of Harlem, protesting outside a Manhattan Tesla delegation last week.
More than anger, many Norwegians feel ashamed to support a company that they consider to refuse its commitment to make personal transfer better for the planet and whose chief executive says he has abandoned the authorities of the Republic.
Andrea Fresk’s Tesla is filled with a thick layer from the end of winter, a state of neglect that said she reflected her ambiguity to the vehicle she and her husband received a 10 -year loan to buy in 2019.
After Mr Musk bought the social media company Twitter, he began to feel more and more ashamed of Tesla’s possession, but worsened after Mr Musk became a regular presence in Trump’s administration.
“Then it became very difficult to defend this car,” said Ms Fresk, a psychologist with public family services in Norway.
Some of her friends have already sold their Teslas, he said. But because she and her husband still pay the car and run smoothly, she doesn’t replace her for now.
Rebil, Norway’s largest used car representative, has increased the number of drivers selling Teslas in recent months. But that means prices are low, and despite “shame Tesla”, sales were lively.
“I had a lot of customers who were worried about Tesla,” said William Oestby, a seller with Rebil. But when it violates them with the price, range, size and capacity they are looking for, Tesla said, it is usually the best offer offered. “It’s hard to find something that compares,” he said.
This may soon change. Over the next two years, Ford Motor, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and other automakers will import the next generation of electric vehicles. These cars, some that will be sold before the end of this year, will incorporate advances in battery technology that allows for greater driving range and faster charge. These automakers say their cars will be better than Tesla offers.
Traditional automakers “have taken many steps forward,” said Rho Motion’s Roberts. ‘Previously consumers could fight to find other options rather than
Tesla who really competed. This is not the case now. ”
Anusha bayya He contributed a report from New York and Henrik Pryser Libell from Oslo.
