For much of the past year, Tesla sales have been consistently dropping across major European markets. Unsurprisingly, this downward trend is continuing, although there has been some welcome reprieve for Tesla in a handful of markets thanks to the arrival of the heavily updated ‘Juniper’ Model Y.

The good news for Tesla starts in Norway. In June, Tesla sales jumped 54 percent in the country. The arrival of the new Model Y was a major boost, with registrations increasing 115.3 percent to 5,004 units. Similarly, Tesla sales rose by a considerable 60.7 percent in Spain to 2,632 units. This was also largely down to the new Model Y, with its sales rising 127.2 percent to 1,179 units. Sales in Portugal also rose 7.3 percent.

Read: Europe Keeps Buying More EVs Just Not From Tesla

Despite these strong-performing markets, there was a bloodbath in many other countries. In Sweden, things were particularly bad, with Tesla scoring a 64.4 percent decline last month compared to June 2024. As noted by Reuters, sales in Denmark have also collapsed by 61.6 percent. Despite the new Model Y now being available in Denmark, sales of Tesla’s best-selling model still dropped 31.2 percent to 1,155 units.

Other countries followed the same trend. In France, Tesla sales are down 10 percent, while in Italy, they fell by 66 percent.

Schmidt Automotive reports that Tesla has endured six year-on-year losses in quarterly new registration volumes across Western Europe, and is now staring down a seventh. Tesla’s share of the EV market shrank across the region to 7.2 percent in May, down from the 12.6 percent share it had in May 2024.

While Tesla CEO Elon Musk is no longer a special government employee under the Trump administration, it seems his involvement in politics is still having a major impact on European car shoppers. In addition, an ever-growing number of EVs from China are making their way to local shores, stealing market share from Tesla.

Tesla’s Cybertruck isn’t officially homologated for Europe, and even if it was available, it’d be too wide for many of the continent’s roads. But a French startup called ÆMotion has come up with a very different EV, one that looks weirdly reminiscent of Elon Musk’s most angular creation and definitely doesn’t have to worry about anyone calling it fat.

What Exactly Is This Thing?

Imagine a Renault Twizy that leans into corners like a motorcycle and you’ve pretty much described the new machine from ÆMotion. It has four wheels, like the Renault axed in 2023, but at just 790 mm (31 inches) wide it’s 300 mm (12 inches) narrower and is steered by handlebars rather than a steering wheel.

Also, yes, that company name, with its stylized A-E ligature, definitely feels like something Elon Musk would give to a child or a satellite. For the curious, according to Wikipedia, Æ (and its lowercase counterpart æ) began as a mashup of the letters a and e, representing the Latin diphthong ae. Over time, it graduated from decorative ligature to full-blown letter status in several languages.

Related: $7,700 Ark Zero EV Looks Like A Pixar Car Made Real

The Cybertruck-like enclosed bodywork has scissors doors and a roof to protect its rider (driver?) and the passenger directly behind them from rain, and seatbelts and front and rear crash structures to protect them in an accident.

AEMotion

ÆMotion claims accidents are much less likely to happen than when riding a traditional motorcycle thanks to the stability that four wheels provide. However, considering there’s no need for the rider to put his feet down when stopped, it seems odd that your legs are exposed by a gap in the bodywork.

Cranked into a turn the quad will lean to a maximum of 35 degrees, and top out at 72 mph (115 km/h), though most will spend their lives at much lower speeds, weaving through gaps in urban traffic that even the Twizy can’t leverage. A fixed battery gives a range of 124 miles (200 km) or riders can opt for a lighter battery that only lasts 44 miles (70 km) but can we swapped out for another when flat.

Although it looks like a motorcycle, or one of the weird quadricycles that can be driven in some European countries by kids as young as 14, the ÆMotion requires riders posses a conventional car licence, known in France as the Permis B. The company has no prices on its website but NewAtlas claims the startup is initially planning to hook users in with a €200 ($231) per month deal, which sounds expensive to us.

The aftermath of the battle between the 28th Division and German troops in Gathemo, France, in August, 1944. (Screenshot from National Archives film)

The liberation of Gathemo, France, won’t be found in many history books about the Second World War.

After all, it was one town among hundreds on a map that needed to be taken from the occupying Germans in the slow, methodical, grinding Battle of Normandy that began on D-Day: June 6, 1944. That’s when the Allies landed soldiers on five beaches and airborne troops dropped behind enemy lines as part of the war to wrest Europe from Nazi Germany.

Public perception may condense what happened after the invasion into simple terms: The Allies landed, established a beachhead and the fight was over. Tragically, it did not all end in a matter of days and the cost was steep – nearly 210,000 Allied casualties, and around 400,000 German losses.

Throughout the summer, the Allies pushed the German Army back through tiny villages, cities, farmland, hedgerows and plains in a war of attrition. U.S., British, Canadian, and other allied forces gained ground – sometimes only in mere yards — each day.

By August, the Germans were retreating and desperately attempting to avoid becoming encircled. Gathemo soon found itself in the midst of the maelstrom.

For the first time in the war, Pennsylvania’s own 28th Infantry Division was leading the way to try to liberate the town, flanked by the veteran 4th and 29th divisions.

The men and women of Gathemo have never forgotten the men who wore the red keystone patch – dubbed the “bloody bucket” by the Germans – on their shoulders.

Nearly 81 years later, the community will show its gratitude on Saturday by unveiling a memorial honoring nine men from the 28th who gave their lives so Gathemo could be free and  are renaming a street after the division.

At a time when international relations are tense and some American leaders are questioning alliances in Europe, the gesture is a reminder of how deep the bond runs between the French and their liberators. And the commemoration that will take place Saturday began because one man wondered what happened to his great-uncle in the war.

He could never have imagined where his search would lead.

‘Filling in the blanks’

Fifty-year-old Shaun Nadolny doesn’t have any ties to Pennsylvania.

The assistant airport operations manager for Milwaukee County in Wisconsin is a self-described history lover, whose grandfather Leo Nadolny fought in the Pacific Theater with the Marines against the Japanese.

Shaun Nadolny’s dad, born four years after the war ended in 1949, was named after Leo’s brother Jerome Francis, who was one of nine men killed in Gathemo. The two brothers never knew each other’s whereabouts while in combat, so Leo didn’t learn about Jerome’s death for nearly a year.

Letters from his parents informing him about the loss weren’t reaching him, so tragically, he kept asking about his brother when writing home.

Like most families at the time, the Nadolnys didn’t know much about Jerome’s service, except that he died in France. A family member has the Purple Heart that was issued posthumously.

“I’ve learned a lot about my grandpa, Leo, because in about 2001, I sent a letter to the government saying, ‘As part of the Freedom of Information Act, I was wondering if you could share his military file.’ And they did,” he said.

The packet arrived about 18 months later and provided him with a window into his grandfather’s wartime experiences – where he fought, the battles he survived and even the ships he was transported on in the Pacific.

“It kind of led me down this path about his brother Jerome, that we knew nothing about. We just literally had a picture of his cross on his grave over in Brittany (France), and a picture of him. That’s all my dad ever had,” he said. “He just knew that, ‘Hey, I was named after my uncle who I never met who was killed over in France.’”

About a decade ago, he wrote the government again with a request for Jerome’s military file. He wasn’t as fortunate this time around. The records were believed to have been destroyed in a fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis in 1973. It was one of up to 18 million service members’ files lost.

He did receive some basic information: Jerome’s draft enrollment card and where he was originally buried in France before his remains were repatriated in the Brittany American Cemetery.

Another key detail came from a picture of Jerome’s grave marker. He served in the 109th Infantry Regiment, as part of the 28th Infantry Division. Prior to the war, the 28th was a Pennsylvania National Guard unit based at Fort Indiantown Gap in Lebanon County. It was nationalized by the federal government in February 1941.

“I just started kind of looking into that unit in that division,” Nadolny said. “A friend said, ‘Hey man, you’re kind of at a dead end with this research on your great uncle. You should look at a 28th Infantry Facebook group or a family group, because you’re not going to get anything more from the government.’”

So in the group, he ended up in touch with a Frenchman, Christophe Clement, who works in logistics. But, his real passion is World War II history. When he was 15 or 16, he would ride his bike from cemetery to cemetery to make sure the graves of Allied soldiers were well kept. He’s studied in Canada to be a historical adviser and volunteers with the Mike Pride Mobile Museum. Clement’s Facebook page is filled with pictures and videos – historical and current – of his efforts to keep the memory of Allied soldiers alive.

But, he has always felt a connection to the men wearing the keystone symbol on their uniforms and helmets. His hometown of Senlis was liberated by the division. During WWI, a soldier from the 28th died there and another five were killed in the same area during the second worldwide conflict.

Clement connected Nadolny with a retired lieutenant colonel from the 28th – Corey Angell, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and who has a passion for documenting the history of his beloved unit.

Angell soon was able to add a few more pieces to the puzzle for Nadolny – Jerome’s company, his death from a gunshot wound and how he was identified by his paybook.

“So, they kind of started filling in just some of the blanks,” Nadolny said. “And all I ever was doing for the last 15 years was just learning a little bit more about my family history.”

‘Just another guy’

Clement had an idea after corresponding with Angell and Nadolny – to build a memorial to the 28th’s fallen in the nondescript town of Gathemo in Normandy. The idea blew Nadolny’s mind. He figured his great-uncle was just a typical grunt doing his job. After all, he wasn’t part of the D-Day landings or some super soldier that earned a chestful of medals.

“He’s just another guy. He came after the invasion, and was killed very early in – Aug. 12,” he said. “Nothing heroic about it.”

Nadolny didn’t want his relative to be singled out, so Clement did some digging and learned the names of eight other members of the 28th who were killed in the fight to liberate the townspeople from four years of German occupation.

“When you search for information about soldiers or about combat actions or whatever, it really is like a police inquiry,” Clement said, speaking through a translator.

Clement is an old pro at working to honor the memory of Allied soldiers who paid the ultimate price on French soil. About a dozen years ago, he started working to create monuments to members of the 28th around his part of France.

He will turn 40 on Saturday, the same day as the ceremony, which will have special significance because Clement says it will be the last monument he helps build. Organizing the tributes is becoming increasingly complicated, said Clement, who has worked to preserve the memory of 15 members of the Bloody Bucket who were killed in France during the world wars and an estimated 400 other Allied soldiers.

The Battle

The 28th Infantry Division didn’t enter the conflict until about a month-and-half after D-Day – July 22, 1944 – and landed at Omaha Beach. At that point, the Allies were building  momentum toward a breakout inland.

The division found itself in hedgerow country (known to the French as “bocage”).

The fighting across the terrain  – made up of farm fields broken up by a series of overgrown hedges and trees that towered above walls of dirt that could reach up to six feet in height— was slow, brutal and hindered any sustained advance.

Six days after arriving on French soil, the 28th suffered its first casualty when an officer was seriously wounded.

But its biggest test to come was in Gathemo, beginning on Aug. 7.

“The 28th Division troops got their first experience in hedgerow warfare during the fighting at Percy and Hill 210, but they faced a far more intense test a week later at Gathemo and Hill 288, just outside the town,” said Walter Zapotoczny an author, Army veteran, former command historian of the 28th Infantry Division and president of the 28th Infantry Division Association.

Jerome Nadolny and his fellow soldiers in the 109th regiment were among the first American troops moving toward the town around 6:30 a.m. Waiting for them, according to Zapotoczny, was at least half of the German 84th Infantry Division, an 88-mm anti-tank battalion, the 84th Division artillery and other enemy forces.

After hours of heaving fighting and nightfall approaching, three battalions of the 28th dug in – without much forward progress. But, the Germans weren’t done. As the Allies had learned through Africa, Sicily, and Italy, their enemy utilized the counterattack as a favored tactic.

Major Paul F. Gaynor, who was commanding the regimental anti-tank company described what happened next:

The next day didn’t yield much gain in ground. The 28th advanced another 300 to 400 yards. The Germans may have been in retreat, but continued to fight tenaciously. It wouldn’t be until the morning of Aug. 10 that American troops entered the town, and by the afternoon Gathemo was liberated.

“The battle of Gathemo caused the greatest losses and the most resistance up to that point in the 28th Division’s experience,” Zapotoczny added,  “It was at Gathemo that the 28th Division endured its most brutal battle of the Northern France campaign.”

The cost in and around Gathemo was the lives of nine members of the 28th, including three from Pennsylvania:

An estimated 235 men were wounded.

On Aug. 19, the 77-day Battle of Normandy came to an end with the Germans in full retreat and tens of thousands captured when the Falaise pocket was closed by Allied troops.

“Although not directly involved in the fiercest fighting at Chambois, where Polish and Canadian forces sealed the pocket, the 28th Division’s aggressive advance helped prevent German units from escaping to the east or regrouping, effectively pressing the western and southern flanks of the pocket,” Zapotoczny said.

A mere 10 days after the German defense of Normandy collapsed, the men of the Bloody Bucket were taking part in the liberation day parade throughout Paris.

Tracking down the relatives

As plans for the dedication ceremony took shape, Cory Angell, the retired 28th Division officer, continued to try to reach as many families of the nine soldiers killed in Gathemo as possible to give them a chance to attend in-person or watch it online.

He spends his spare time researching photos and videos throughout history of the men and women who served in the country’s oldest Army division.

“We’re kind of a small group, right? A lot of people just retire and move on. There’s some of us that are just diehards and I’m one of them,” Angell said. “I’m an old soldier, retired from the division which I grew up with. Really, the beginning and end of my career was in the division wearing the keystone patch.”

Since Pvt. Irwin S. Fox was from Pittsburgh, he turned his attention to trying to find his relatives.

Military records show Fox enlisted in the Army on Jan. 9, 1944, just months before the invasion. He was assigned to the 110th Infantry Regiment with the 28th Division.

Angell started by Googling the names of the nine soldiers. With Fox, he was able to make a connection to Pittsburgh. He then reached out to the Heinz History Center, who put him in touch with the Pittsburgh Jewish Genealogy Society.

“The guy said, ‘Last I can tell, that family moved to Columbus, Ohio. Let me put you in touch with a guy for Jewish history in Columbus, Ohio.’ And that’s how they go, ‘Yeah, we got him. Here’s her phone number.’”

Soon, he was on the phone with Evelyn Fox Weiner, Irwin’s 89-year-old niece.

“What was a real joy to me and I hope that all those that are involved can really appreciate it when we do find the family members, the three that we found have been amazed and thrilled,” Angell said. “People are like, ‘What? You’re kidding me.’”

‘My grandmother became a Gold Star mother’

Fox was a first-generation American. His grandfather was from Ukraine and his grandmother grew up in Latvia. He graduated from Schenley High School in Pittsburgh’s North Oakland neighborhood. His mom, dad, sister and brother eventually moved to Squirrel Hill. He was married to Josephine Greenberg. A picture from 1944 shows a striking couple – Josephine sporting a knee-length skirt and a clean-shaven Irwin in uniform with his right arm casually, but firmly around her hip.

He was 29 when he died in combat.

“He was very loving and nice,” said Weiner. “He was revered enough that my family had another son who was named after him.”

His namesake, Irwin S. Fox, is 77-years-old and lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with his wife.

He didn’t know much about his uncle until about 1964, when he came across some old photos.

“All I knew was that he was killed shortly after D-Day. I didn’t know any of the details until I saw the gravestone,” Fox said. The headstone is marked with his uncle’s date of death, Aug. 13, 1944. “I just knew from history that he was in hedgerow country in France.”

Irwin Fox and his wife recorded a message on a record to his parents, after Passover in the spring of 1944. The audio and photos were provided to the Capital-Star by his namesake, Irwin S. Fox. (Audio slideshow produced by Tim Lambert)

Fox’s death in Gathemo hit the family hard and Weiner isn’t sure her grandmother ever recovered from the loss of her youngest child.

“I remember the Blue Star in the window in their apartment and their home at that time, if you had somebody in the service, it was a small banner,” said Weiner, who still has the telegram from the War Department informing the family of his death. “Then my grandmother became a Gold Star mother after he was killed.”

When the war was over, families had to decide whether to bring the remains of their loved ones home or whether they would remain buried in Europe. Fox’s mother chose to have his body returned to the U.S.

In March 1949, he was buried at Shaare Torah Cemetery in Whitehall in Allegheny County.

A family photo dated Sept. 15, 1964, shows his mother standing in front of his grave marked by an American flag. Her graying hair peeks out from her yellow headscarf and she’s wearing a long, black coat. Her hands are clasped and her face is grief-stricken.

“I think that’s the most poignant picture I have,” Irwin Fox said.

The family is grateful to have learned a little bit more about Irwin’s short time in France, but will not be able to make the ceremony.

“It meant enough, and Irwin was revered enough, then when we found out about it, which was only two weeks ago, that there were 15 members of our family that were ready to go to France, really, to be there at that dedication, that’s how quickly we all wanted to be there to honor and to share what we could with him,” Weiner said. “Due to logistics and complications due to travel, it’s not happening. We all revered Irwin’s service to the United States and what he did and the sacrifice that he made. It totally changed several generations.”

She and Irwin are touched by the gesture of the people of Gathemo.

“The people actually cared what Americans did and the sacrifice they made (It) had an effect on the world. That is wonderful,” Irwin said. “It kind of renews in me to want to make a difference in the world.”

Weiner said it’s gratifying that the town is remembering the soldiers who died to liberate it from the Germans.

“It never replaces a life, but does it give hope or meaning or set something up for generations to come,” she said.

 ‘Such a rewarding feeling’

The next puzzle piece was tracking down another fallen soldier with Pennsylvania connections.

Not much is known about Pfc. Merritt Boyle’s military service. He was from Chinchilla, Lackawanna County, and served in the 109th Infantry Regiment of the 28th Infantry Division.

He’s buried at the Shady Lane Cemetery in Dixon City.

Angell had a lead on another namesake – 53-year-old Merrit Boyle of Old Forge,, who trains athletes, owns a gym and does life coaching.

It turns out, though, that Merrit doesn’t really answer his phone.

So Angell reached out to the 109th Infantry Regiment Association in Scranton and one of their members just showed up at Boyle’s doorstep.

“I came back from walking my dogs and I locked both doors and I’m setting up my schedule for the day and I heard a banging on the back door. I’m like, ‘Who the hell is banging on my back door?’” he said. So, I’m looking at him and he said, ‘Are you Merrit?’”

The two talked for about 90 minutes about the division, about where Merritt was killed and the upcoming ceremony. The talk started to fill in some blanks for the younger Boyle.

He had heard some stories about the man he was named after – like how he loved his country and was only in France a short time before his death.

Like, how his grandmother, Marjorie, who was Merritt’s mother, asked her daughter, Mary, to name one of her children after her fallen son.

“They weren’t planning on having another kid. I’m the youngest by six years, so I was kind of like a surprise,” he said. “Marjorie went to my mom and said, ‘Look, it would mean a lot for me to keep his legacy alive,’ because Merritt was a very special person to her. You could tell just from talking to her, telling me stories, and I remember sleeping over at her house and she’d be telling me great stories on how he was always into trouble.

Video of tank crews and members of the 28th Infantry Division in an around Gathemo, France, during the Battle of Normandy in August 1944. (From the National Archives)

The twist is they spelled his name wrong on his birth certificate. As his namesake, he has one “T” in his name.

“I love that I have that legacy. I’ve always felt a connection to him when I pray at night, I always have that connection that there’s someone watching me,” Boyle said. “That’s why it was such a rewarding experience to find out a little bit more of his history and I learned a lot from talking to many people that were very helpful and getting me up to pace with some of the details of where he was and what happened.”

Boyle said his uncle didn’t get a chance to live his life.

“I feel him live through me in many regards. …  That I was named after him and (in) his honor and that just hearing how they spoke of him, it made me want to do better,” he said. Merrit does have a wooden carving Boyle made when he was in service and the flag that was put over his coffin when his remains were returned to Pennsylvania.

He is grateful to know his uncle’s memory will live on in the land where he fell.

“We kind of sometimes today get caught up in the politics and the cynicism a lot of times of Republican or Democrat, all this kind of stuff. To see 80 years later that there’s still appreciation for what those great men did gives such a rewarding feeling,” he said.

Tomorrow, read about Shaun Nadolny’s trip of a lifetime, as Gathemo prepares to pay tribute to the 28th Division and the men who died to liberate it. If you would like to watch the dedication ceremony, it is set to begin at 5:00 a.m. EST and will be livestreamed on the Mike Pride Museum YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@grpicardie3945.

Pennsylvania Capital-Star is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Tim Lambert for questions: info@penncapital-star.com.

Tesla’s global sales may be slipping, but not every market is turning cold. In a few corners of the world, the brand is still pulling off unexpected wins. In Norway, for example, where a staggering nine out of every 10 new cars sold is an EV, Tesla sales went berserk, jumping 213 percent in May versus the same month in 2024.

A total of 2,600 Tesla EVs were delivered in Norway in May, according to the Norwegian Road Traffic Information Council (OFV). Unsurprisingly, the boom was led by the launch of the facelifted Model Y, which debuted this spring. The compact SUV has been the country’s best-selling car for three-years running, and this May it took a chunky 16.5 percent market share.

Also: The Once Unthinkable Has Happened To Tesla’s Brand

That was more than double the 7 percent of the second-place finisher, Toyota’s bZ4X, and four times the VW ID.4’s showing (4.2 percent). Tesla’s overall performance in Norway was way beyond the healthy 39 percent sales uplift for all cars sold in the country last month.

The Norwegian government’s pro-climate stance going back 25 years, despite being a huge oil exporter , has helped switch its population on to electric cars even though the country’s winter weather shows off EVs in their worst light. Strong financial incentives and a huge number of available chargers created sufficient demand that Norway is now close to the 100 percent EV goal in 2025 it set out to reach eight years ago. The last few combustion holdouts will be tough to convert, however.

BEST SELLING MODELS NORWAY MAY 2025

Tesla Sales Plunge 67% In France

But other European nations who also had access to the facelifted Model Y and had previously seen the old model become the best-selling car in their country, didn’t replicate Norway’s numbers. In Sweden, which shares a border with Norway, Tesla sales sank by 54 percent to just 503 vehicles. In France, they were down 67 percent to 721 units, data from AAA says.

European sales of Teslas halved as buyers shunned the brand that once dominated sales charts, becoming the first to outperform not just other EVs, but every combustion-engine car. The arrival of stronger competition, both from legacy brands and also Chinese newcomers like BYD is a factor, as is a certain level of disappointment that Tesla’s facelifts to the Model 3 and Model Y don’t go far enough.

But another major reason for Tesla’s weak sales is its declining brand image and public disgust at Musk’s support for right-wing political parties such as Germany’s AfD. In a March poll 94 percent of Germans said they would never buy a Tesla.

BEST SELLING BRANDS NORWAY MAY 2025

French President Emmanuel Macron has a new ride as DS Automobiles has unveiled the Presidential DS N°8. Introduced as part of the 80th anniversary celebrations for V-E Day, the one-off model sports an assortment of special touches.

Starting outside, there’s a unique Sapphire Blue exterior with contrasting black accents. They’re joined by a special DS Luminascreeen grille, which illuminates blue, white, and red as a nod to the French flag. Speaking of which, there are flag holders on the front bumper. The model also sports a retractable soft top as well as blue, white, and red badges.

More: DS No8 Breaks Cover As The New French Electric Flagship

The blue theme continues inside with Dream Blue Alcantara and Nappa leather upholstery. They’re accompanied by pleated door panels, pearl contrast stitching, and a Focal audio system.

More notably, the Presidential DS N°8 has beautiful straw marquetry. It’s made from rye straw, which has been dyed and arranged in an elegant fan pattern. The resulting trim looks fantastic and is an interesting departure from the typical wood found in luxury cars.

The company didn’t say much else about the interior, but it appears to feature a familiar digital instrument cluster and 16-inch infotainment system. We can also see a handful of special controls hidden beneath the floating center console. Some of these appear to operate flashing lights and, perhaps, a siren.

DS was tight-lipped about powertrain specifics, but confirmed the model has a range of up to 466 miles (750 km). This suggests the Presidential DS N°8 is based on the Long Range FWD variant, which has a 97.2 kWh battery pack as well as a 242 hp (180 kW / 245 PS) electric motor. However, we probably shouldn’t read too much into those numbers as the car is armored and this will undoubtedly impact its performance.

Tesla’s European sales are, to put it lightly, in freefall. After months of steadily declining numbers, April was a particularly disastrous month for the electric vehicle maker. Key markets like Spain, Germany, Belgium, France, and the UK all saw significant drops, leaving Tesla wondering if it can get back on track anytime soon.

Germany, in particular, seems to be where Tesla’s problems are most evident. In April, the company sold just 885 vehicles in the country, down a staggering 45.9% compared to the same month last year. So far this year, Tesla has sold 5,820 vehicles in Germany, marking a 60.4% drop from 2024. Keep in mind, this is the country that houses Tesla’s only European factory, so things are clearly not going according to plan.

Read: Tesla Sales Crash Over 80% In Sweden And That’s Just The Beginning

It’s clear that public sentiment surrounding Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, plays a significant role in the company’s declining sales. This year, he’s spent a lot of time aligning himself with controversial figures like Donald Trump and making his presence felt in U.S. politics. Additionally, his public support for a far-right political party in Germany ahead of its recent federal elections has certainly contributed to some of the backlash.

Tesla has also been shifting the European supply of the best-selling Model Y to the recently updated ‘Juniper’ model. However, as local deliveries of this new model have already started, sales should be stronger than they are proving to be.

As Tesla struggled in Germany, some of its competition thrived. BYD, still a relatively new player in the country, sold 1,566 vehicles last month, a 755.7% jump over April 2024. Year-to-date sales are also up 384.5% to 2,791 units. MG sales were also up 34% in April. Polestar also reported a 47.1% increase in sales, with 303 units sold last month.

It’s not much better in the UK, where Tesla sales absolutely cratered in April. With only 512 units sold, the company saw a 62% drop compared to the year before. This is bad, even by bad-news standards.

Tesla’s struggles extend across several other European countries as well. In Spain, sales dropped 36%. In Belgium, it was 55%. France saw a 59% decline, Denmark 67%, and in Sweden, a jaw-dropping 81% drop in April. To put it bluntly, Tesla’s grip on the European market is slipping faster than the price of an electric car at a dealership going out of business.

Germany April 2025 Sales