Tesla plummets in key European markets

NEW YORK, Dec 01 (Reuters): Tesla saw November registrations in France, Denmark and Sweden halve from a year earlier, as the US EV maker continued to struggle to stem market share losses in Europe despite rolling out new versions of its best-selling Model Y, but Norway bucked the trend with record sales in the month.
Monthly registrations, a proxy for sales, slumped by 58 per cent in France to 1,593 vehicles sold, by 59 per cent to 1,466 cars in Sweden and by 49 per cent to 534 cars in Denmark, official data showed.
But in Norway, they almost trebled to 6,215 cars, beating the country's annual sales record with one month to spare.
Tesla's slowdown in Europe began late last year, after its CEO Elon Musk publicly praised right-wing political figures, setting off protests across the region.
In November, a large fire at a Tesla dealership in Southern France prompted investigators to launch a criminal probe, local media reported.
Musk has since toned down political commentary, but Tesla's European business has not recovered, pointing to deeper challenges.
The multiple bar charts show changes in Tesla's battery electric vehicle sales in some European markets in July and the first seven months of the year.
Analysts pointed to growing competition in a crowded European market, especially from new entrants from China, and Tesla's aging lineup.
Consumer sentiment has weakened. Data analytics and advisory firm Escalent said in a study seen by Reuters on Monday that 38 per cent of more than 2,000 respondents to a survey in Europe's five largest car markets feel the brand's novelty has worn off and it trails competitors on design, quality and emotional appeal.
While Musk spent much of this year focused on the carmaker's robotics pursuits and winning shareholder approval for his freshly minted $1 trillion pay package, Tesla tried to win back buyers by launching a refreshed Model Y earlier this year.