Tesla's sales collapse in Europe after Elon Musk's support for ultra -right and Nazi greeting

Elon Musk has spent the last months by measuring in favor of the extreme right in Europe. A trend crowned by his gesture of Nazi greeting after the inauguration of Donald Trump and that despite the controversy raised, he has not denied having made. “The attack of ‘All are Hitler’ is already very manid,” he just said. The controversy is not only affecting the public image of Musk but its companies, since Tesla has suffered a collapse in its sales throughout Europe in the last month, especially in the countries most affected by Nazism.

In Germany, where is the largest factoring of the manufacturer in Europe, only 1,277 of its vehicles were sold during the month of January. It represents a 59.5% drop compared to the same period last year and is well above the general evolution of the market of electric cars in the German country, which only dropped 2.8%. Asynchrony between both data “suggests that consumers looking for an electric vehicle may well be reacting to Musk’s comments,” says a Schmidt Automotive Research report.

The gesture of Nazi greeting, prohibited in Germany, has not been the only action that has been able to affect consumers in the country when choosing a Tesla. Musk has been praising for months to the alternative ultra -right party for Germany (AFD), known for the links of some of its members with neo -Nazis organizations and their policies against immigration and multiculturalism. “Germany is on the verge of economic and cultural collapse,” said the businessman, who defends that AFD is “the last spark of hope for this country.”

This support was signed at the beginning of January with a conversation broadcast live on X between Musk and Alice Weidel, the training leader. The interview triggered the reach of Weidel’s extremist messages, who said that “Hitler was a communist” or that his party is “the only protector of the Jews in Germany.” “I think Alice Weidel is a very reasonable person,” said Musk. “I recommend voting for AFD if you are discontent with the situation,” he insisted on the elections that will take place on February 23.

Meanwhile, in France the fall of Tesla was even more pronounced. Specifically, their sales were reduced by 63% in a January that was also marked by the reproaches of President Emmanuel Macron against the interference of the richest man in the continent. “If they had told us ten years ago that the owner of one of the world’s biggest social networks would support a new reactionary international and intervene directly in elections, including Germany, who would have imagined it?” He asked.

However, the country with a higher percentage drop is precisely Spain. According to ANFAC data, the employer of car manufacturers, in January 2025 only 268 Tesla were sold, for the 1,094 of the previous year. Although Spain is one of the smallest markets of the Musk company in Europe, it is a collapse of 75%. “The fascism that we believed behind is already the third political force of Europe, the reactionary international led by the richest man on the planet attacks our institutions, he shakes hatred and openly calls to support the heirs of Nazism in Germany,” he warned Pedro Sánchez about Musk at the beginning of the month.

The same situation extends throughout the continent. In Sweden, where Tesla faces a strike that has spread to professional sectors and is on its way to two years for its refusal to sign a collective agreement with its mechanics, its sales have fallen 46%. In Norway and Denmark the figure is 40%; In Netherlands, 42%, and in Portugal, 31%.

The situation in January has considerably aggravated the trend that Tesla was already suffering in 2024. At the end of the year, the company marked a global sales fall of 1%, although accentuated in recent months. Tesla also manufactured 4% less units, which added to the increase in costs meant that its benefits were reduced by half compared to 2023.

Elon Musk tried to reassure investors claiming that Tesla’s true potential is not the sale of electric cars. “Very few people understand the value of autonomous driving and capacity [de Tesla] To monetize the fleet. Some of these things have been said for a long time, and I know that people have said: ‘Well, Elon, the boy who shouted like a wolf like several times’. But I tell you that this time there is a damn wolf, and you can drive it, ”he said at the Conference for the presentation of results.

The tycoon also defended the commercial future of the Android of Tesla. “Optimus has the potential to represent 10,000 or 20,000 million dollars in income,” although he said: “Clearly these income predictions are totally crazy, I realize that. But I think they are successful. ” However, Musk acknowledged that “2025 will be a crucial year in the history of Tesla.”

Despite the bad results in January, Tesla shares have contained their fall around 5%. Several analysts have pointed out that the adulation of the extreme right by Musk is not the only factor to consider in this month of black January. “Another reasons is the low availability of vehicles in stock. As every year, the company postpones sales in the last quarter to close the accounts with a better result. But this inevitably has an impact at the beginning of the new year, when the stocks are low, ”they describe in UK Motor.