By Alessandro Parodi
(Reuters) -Tesla’s new car sales in Britain plummeted 62% year-on-year in April to their lowest in over two years, even as demand for electric vehicles rose, data from research group New AutoMotive showed on Tuesday.
Sales of billionaire Elon Musk’s EV cars also plunged to multi-year lows in some other key European markets last month, national data showed last week, as Tesla prepares to counter competition from European and Chinese EV brands with the launch of a revamped Model Y.
Britain had bucked the gloomy European trend for Tesla this year, but in April the automaker sold just 536 new cars there, down from 1,404 in the same month of 2024, leading to a year-to-date EV market share for the brand of 9.3%.
Tesla’s website in Britain says that estimated deliveries of the revamped Model Y will start in June, but it will take a couple of months before sales data show if the updated version has won back customers.
Musk’s closeness to U.S. President Donald Trump and his embrace of far-right politics in Europe have led to protests against him and the company, as well as vandalism at its showrooms and charging stations across the U.S. and Europe.
After the brand’s first-quarter global sales and profit missed estimates, Musk said two weeks ago he would cut back on the time he devotes to the Trump administration and spend more time running the company.
Overall battery-electric car registrations in Britain increased by 6.9% in April, slowing from the previous month due to broader economic conditions, New AutoMotive said.
Volkswagen’s battery-electric sales in Britain jumped 194% to 2,314 vehicles last month, while registrations of China’s BYD were up 311% to 1,419 cars.
(Reporting by Alessandro Parodi. Editing by Mark Potter)
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