Tesla is probably thrilled May is over.
Elon Musk’s EV company saw major sales slumps last month across Europe — a trend the company says will reverse once it starts delivering its new Model Y to more markets.
Sales in Britain, Germany and Italy fell for the fifth month in a row in May, according to Reuters. In the U.K., the automaker saw a 45% year-over-year decline. Tesla (TSLA-3.33%) also saw a year-over-year sales decrease of 68% in Portugal, 67% in France, 53.7% in Sweden, 30.5% in Denmark, 36% in the Netherlands, and 19% in Spain for the month.
The lackluster sales comes as Musk has taken his far-right politics across the pond, getting involved in European politics and turning off some customers in the process.
A spokesperson for Tesla in England told Reuters that the company expects to see sales rise again in June when new deliveries for the Model Y — Europe’s most-purchased car in 2023 — start shipping from its Berlin factory.
Deliveries of Tesla’s made in China, which are shipped domestically and internationally, also fell, Reuters reported. Chinese-made Tesla vehicles saw a 15% decline in deliveries in May year-over-year, following a 6% decrease in April.
The decline is happening alongside increased European interest in Chinese EV maker BYD’s (BYDDY-1.47%) cars, which are more often affordable.
But there was some good news. In Norway, where it is delivering new Model Y vehicles, Tesla saw a 213% increase in May year-over-year.
“Tesla’s strong performance in Norway points to the way forward for the company: innovate,” Ben Nelmes of EV analysis firm New AutoMotive told Reuters. “No car company can rest on its laurels and be guaranteed success.”
Tesla did not immediately return a request for comment.
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