The American Tesla sold half as many electric cars in Europe in April compared to a year earlier. Chinese car manufacturer BYD took over Tesla’s spot in the top ten of electric brands on the continent.
Tesla dropped to eleventh place: the brand saw sales decline to 7,165 units, reports British market researcher JATO Dynamics in a report. BYD sold 7,231 fully electric cars in Europe in April. That is 169 percent more than in the same month last year.
“Although the difference in sales between the two brands is small, the consequences are enormous. This is a turning point for the European car market,” says JATO analyst Felipe Munoz. “Tesla has been one of the market leaders for years, while BYD only officially became active outside Norway and the Netherlands at the end of 2022.” Volkswagen is in first place and sold more than 23,500 electric cars.
The import duties that the European Union imposed earlier this year on electric cars of Chinese manufacture initially had a negative impact on the sale of Chinese cars.
Many Chinese manufacturers that are active in Europe responded by expanding their European range. They did this by introducing so-called plug-in hybrid cars, which are not yet subject to EU levies. Such a car has both an electric motor and a combustion engine.
Tesla has been struggling with declining sales for some time, partly due to the role of CEO Elon Musk in the American government. In that role, he advised President Donald Trump and implemented cutbacks. That led to dissatisfaction among Tesla customers. In Germany, sales decreased by almost half. The brand also saw a significant decrease in the Netherlands.