In total, 2,395 cars were sold on the French market in February, one of Europe's largest, according to figures from the industry organization Plateforme Automobile.
The figure follows an even larger decline – of 63 percent – in France in January, when only 1,141 cars were sold. In Europe as a whole, Tesla's January sales fell by 45 percent, while the electric car market generally increased by 37 percent.
Tesla had previously flagged that design changes to the popular Y model would entail a production pause in early 2025 as the factories are adapted. Therefore, a poorer sales performance was also to be expected.
But the decline is also occurring at the same time as CEO and founder Elon Musk – now an associate of US President Donald Trump – is increasingly getting involved in European politics. Among other things, he expressed support for the nationalist AFD party ahead of last weekend's election in Germany. People have reacted both through protests and by vandalizing Tesla's sales outlets in several countries.
