Early car sales data for January is starting to arrive from countries across the pond, and they paint an alarming picture for Tesla. Sales are crashing in France, Germany, and the UK—all affluent countries that are key markets for Tesla’s electric vehicles. Coming on the heels of a large financial miss, it’s just one more problem for the automaker.
Tesla sales dropped around 13 percent across Europe in 2024, but so far this year, the scale of the problem is far greater. In France, sales of new Teslas fell by 63 percent, while total car sales in the country fell by just 6 percent, with EV sales dropping just half a percent.
Germany was already looking like lost ground for Tesla—its 41 percent drop in 2024 accounted for most of Tesla’s lost sales across Europe. That must make the 59 percent drop in German Tesla sales recorded during January even more painful on the profit and loss statements.
Across the Channel, the British auto industry just released its sales data for January. Here, Tesla sales fell less precipitously—just 12 percent. However, battery EV sales were 35 percent higher in the UK in January 2025 than in January 2024. The cake is growing, but Tesla is getting to eat less and less of it.
In fact, no Tesla cracked the UK’s top 10 best-seller list last month, something that has regularly happened in the past, although that may be due to having just two models for >sale in most markets.
Large declines have also been recorded in Sweden (44 percent), Norway (38 percent), and the Netherlands (42 percent).
Anyone driving anything close to a pickup here is a knob. Ford Rangers or Raptors are for men whos wives dress them.
Hilux was acceptable but they are in the same boat now, you all look ridiculous.
Pickups have their uses in Europe as well. Where I live, it seems like most pest controllers (rat catchers, an easy to clean open trunk is probably very nice) and land surveyors prefer them over other vehicles. They all use smaller sensible size pickups from Japanese brands though.
I think I’ve spotted only 2 different modern USA oversized pickups in traffic. Both full black, never a speck of dirt on them, always tailgating someone. They are vastly outnumbered by the sensible pickups, but you just can’t miss spotting them in traffic.
I’m a sole trader, Stone Mason, I make enough to buy a used vehicle, but not new. Know what I would love? A light duty truck, no crew cab road princess bullshit, two seats in front, maybe a single half door passenger side for putting stuff behind the seats, and a properly sized bed. There’s no such thing on the used market. There’s absolutely uses for small trucks for trades folk. Back in Canada I had an older Ford Ranger, from when they were a rebadged Mitsubishi B3200. I would step over my dying gran for something like that here in the UK. The new Rangers are a fucking joke, FWD, crew cab standard, and they’re the size of the old F-150s, completely unusable in the UK. I’m thinking about maybe importing a Japanese Kei Truck. There’s some larger ones that are smaller than an old Ranger, but big enough for what I need…and they look cool AF.
A family member’s a brickie. He ran an LDV Pilot for few years, until it died, and it was useful (piece of shit, but pretty reliable, and cheap to fix when it did break) while it lasted. But newer trucks and small vans aren’t nearly as suitable.
The Pilot was ugly as fuck, but from what I’ve heard they were basically indestructible to a certain point…then there was almost no reviving them. Been considering getting a decommissioned ambulance and changing my trading name to Dr. Stone…
Ambulance is basically set up for a mobile shop, 240 and 110, loads of drawers and cupboards, tie-down points and either a fold down ramp or a hydraulic tailgate. Ambulance services are always refreshing their fleet, they get worked hard, but there’s a maintenance standard so even with 180k miles on the Odo they’re typically not running poorly. Idk…maybe I’m talking myself into it, maybe it’s actually a good idea.
Mate my wife dresses me but categorising me with them POS trucks is just too far.
Yeah man I didnt mean to do that, mine dresses me too…or rather she would do a better job of it anyway
Let’s see how big of a mouth you run when i pull up in my ranger plastered with punisher skulls you beta 😎😎 jkdon’tbullymepls
They have there place, but they are in the same boat as vans etc. They are commercial vehicles, to do a job, not city runabouts to stroke egos.
Yeah, get a van. The only people on site with these are lads with more money than work, mammy and daddy funded, or the developer who wouldnt see concrete dust land on it.
A van can’t deal with even remotely muddy grass. I lost count of how many vans I rescued, back when I had my pickup. They are also a lot less effective at dragging a horse trailer etc. Vans also (generally) don’t have back seats. If you’re also having to trek up and down the motorways, then the comfort of the ranger makes a big difference.
Our plant hire is delivered by a 20 year old mondeo. Van have more room for the work stuff and are plenty comfortable for motorway travel. Our off road vehicles are outlanders and vans are everything from mercedes to renault. Never had a problem that a pick up would have resolved.
Pretty much true in the US too - especially a Raptor.
The only acceptable vehicle is a range rover, and even then it has to have mud on it.