European Tesla sales plummeted 49 percent in April using year-on-year figures as a quotient even as overall battery-electric sales rose almost 28 percent in the region.
Reuters reports the U.S. EV maker’s upgrade of its Model Y shows little sign of turning around the brand’s diminished image as some vehicles come under direct attack from vandals – both in Europe and the U.S. itself.
Its sales dropped for a fourth month in a row and its share of the total market nearly halved to 0.7 percent from 1.3 percent a year ago.
The Reuters report goes on to detail broader sales in Europe, setting out, “Total car sales in Europe remained roughly consistent with last year, falling just 0.3%.
“The strongest sales growth came from electric and plug-in hybrid cars. European carmakers are trying to cut domestic costs and tackle competition amid U.S. tariffs on auto imports and a slowing global economy.”
CNBC notes Elon Musk’s company launched an upgraded version of its Model Y sports utility vehicle this year, but its overall line-up of cars is still ageing, with no new mass market offering unveiled to date.
At the same time, Tesla sees rising competition from traditional automakers as well as aggressive Chinese players.
Last week, separate data showed auto giant BYD sold more pure electric cars in Europe than Tesla for the first time.
Follow Simon Kent on Twitter: Follow @SunSimonKent or e-mail to: [email protected]
Read the full article here