With Elon Musk being put in a position of power with the inauguration of President Donald Trump, his companies are certainly being impacted. Most notably, Tesla sales plummeted in Germany by a whopping 59 percent in January, the month when Donald Trump retook the White House.
Tesla Sales Dropping Like a Rock
This decrease is not only happening in Germany, however. When comparing sales from January 2024 to January 2025, the 2025 sales decreased in the UK, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, and Portugal. The least significant decrease of all of these countries was the UK, where sales decreased by 18.2 percent. The average decrease in sales between all of the countries listed was 47.5 percent. Tesla sales saw a most significant decrease in Spain, where it decreased by 75.4 percent.
This massive decrease in Tesla sales is attributed to dislike for Elon Musk. With all of his actions influencing both American and European politics, most Europeans aren’t big fans of Musk. That translates to greater dislike for his companies.
In a survey conducted by Reuters, only 11 percent of the Swedish public had a positive view of Tesla. Those who had a negative view of Tesla increased from 47 percent all the way up to 63 percent. It’s safe to say that the company is struggling in Europe, but Tesla sales are also decreasing in California, the largest EV market in the US.
[Suggested Reading: Tesla Stock Faces Challenges as Trump Targets EV Incentives]
California Sales Down
Throughout 2024, Tesla registered fewer cars in California in all four quarters when compared to previous years. Tesla sales of one of their most notable models, the Model 3 sedan, dropped by 36 percent. This likely stems from Musk’s support and assistance with the election of Donald Trump and other Republicans in 2024. California voted for Kamala Harris’s by 20.2 points in the race. That assistance and the large support for Harris lead to Tesla’s reputation taking a significant hit. Survey scores measuring trust and likability of the company reached record lows since 2023.
Tesla still leads California in terms of zero-emission vehicle registrations, but Tesla share dropped from 60.1 percent to 52.5 percent. This also may be impacted by Musk moving Tesla headquarters out of California and into Texas. Musk’s other companies X and SpaceX are expected to leave California for Texas as well.
Tesla sales are down big this year, but will they make a comeback? How will Musk’s reputation and actions impact his companies in the future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
