By Mucahithan Avcioglu
ISTANBUL (AA) - US electric vehicle (EV) giant Tesla's sales in Germany dropped 53.5% in October year-on-year, according to data released Wednesday by the country’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA).
The firm only sold 750 vehicles in October in Germany, down from 1,607 units in October 2024.
According to KBA data, Germany saw a total of 434,627 new battery EV sales so far this year, almost a 40% increase from the same time last year. Some 15,595 of those EVs were Teslas, representing a 50% drop for Elon Musk's carmaker compared to the same period last year.
Although Tesla has a sizable car assembly facility outside of Berlin in Brandenburg, Germany, the firm's image has been damaged in recent months as Musk's political stance and intervention in European politics have drawn criticism from European customers.
Aside from politics, rising competition from Chinese car brands also hit Tesla hard.
BYD, one of its major competitors, saw its sales soar 866.3% year-on-year to 3,353 units in October, according to KBA data.