Tesla sales fall again in Germany amid Musk backlash

Tesla sales plunged again in Germany last month even as the broader electric car market rebounded, data showed Thursday, the latest sign of a growing backlash against billionaire owner Elon Musk.

Just 2,229 of Tesla’s electric vehicles (EVs) were registered in March, about 43% fewer compared with the same period last year, the KBA federal transport authority said.

Overall electric vehicle registrations rose 35.5% in Germany year-on-year as sales continue to rebound from very low levels seen in early 2024.

Like elsewhere in Europe, EV sales slowed in Germany last year against a weak economic backdrop, with the situation worsened in the region’s biggest auto market by the withdrawal of government subsidies.

Tesla’s sales have been slowing worldwide as Musk faces anger over his role overseeing cuts to the federal workforce in U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, and due to factory upgrades.

But he has faced particular hostility in Germany after he vocally backed the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)—which is shunned by mainstream parties—ahead of February elections.

Some German Tesla drivers have put “I bought this before Elon Went crazy” stickers on their vehicles, Teslas have been targeted in suspected arson attacks in Berlin and Dresden, and protesters have staged demonstrations against the carmaker.

Over the first three months of the year Tesla registrations fell a whopping 62.2% compared to the same period in 2024, the KBA said.

Overall in March, the number of new vehicle registrations in Germany fell to 253,497, down 3.9% from a year earlier, the latest sign of weakness in the market.

German auto manufacturers are now facing another headache after Trump slapped 25% tariffs on car imports into the United States.

© 2025 AFP