this post was submitted on 09 Feb 2025
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Summary

Tesla's European sales are plummeting, with Germany seeing a 60% drop despite strong EV growth. Similar declines hit Norway, Sweden, and France.

While some blame the Osborne effect—buyers delaying purchases for a refreshed Model Y—Musk’s endorsement of Germany’s far-right AfD may also be repelling customers.

Online backlash has linked Tesla to fascist imagery. In contrast, UK sales fell only 7.8%, suggesting political factors play a role.

With strong domestic EV competition in Europe, Tesla’s reputation crisis could further hurt demand.

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[–] Zink@programming.dev 23 points 2 days ago (3 children)

I must say congratulations to Mr. Musk on finally finding that one special picture that will live on in the history books. You wanted to be remembered, and you are well on your way to having the name “Elon” be right up there with “Adolf” when people are choosing names for their children.

Elon Shitler has a nice ring to it. #PresidentElon please use this hashtag in all your sm post. We need to sew divide wherever we can and baby Trump really cares about shit like this. ✊🏻

[–] hungryphrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 2 days ago

I bet someday we (the younger side of Lemmy) will be helping our kids with history homework and get jumpscared by this pic.

[–] blady_blah@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I kind of think this was intentional, because the picture everyone used before this was the dorky one of him jumping at the Trump rally. I'm sure he prefers this one.

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[–] originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com 152 points 3 days ago (4 children)

weird. i guess some people just arent interested in driving Swasticars

[–] 30p87@feddit.org 38 points 3 days ago (4 children)

"Car" is too big a word, "Nazimobil" fits better

[–] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 20 points 3 days ago (4 children)
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[–] lolcatnip@reddthat.com 4 points 2 days ago

Deploreans.

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[–] meowmeowbeanz@sh.itjust.works 45 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Musk’s clown car of leadership finally careens into reality. When your CEO’s political acumen involves cosplaying as a far-right edgelord, even Europe’s EV adopters—historically tolerant of overpriced gadgets—start side-eyeing the brand. Tesla’s not a car company anymore; it’s a vanity project for a man who thinks “free speech” means platforming Nazis.

Meanwhile, European automakers are quietly eating Tesla’s lunch with actual innovation, not just empty hype. Musk’s fanbase? A shrinking cult of tech bros and crypto gamblers. The rest of us? We’ve moved on to cars that don’t come with a side of embarrassing billionaire tantrums.

Democracy’s broken? Sure. But watching Musk torch his own empire? Chef’s kiss.

[–] WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world 8 points 3 days ago (1 children)

What's the difference between someone cosplaying as a far-right edgelord and an actual far-right edgelord?

[–] meowmeowbeanz@sh.itjust.works 10 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The difference? One is a poser draped in the aesthetics of reactionary outrage to court attention and controversy, while the other is fully marinated in the ideology, living and breathing it. The former plays dress-up for clout; the latter believes the costume is their skin.

But let’s not split hairs—both are toxic. Whether it’s cosplay or conviction, the result is the same: amplifying regressive garbage under the guise of “provocation.” One just happens to be better at monetizing it.

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[–] Habarug@lemm.ee 70 points 3 days ago (7 children)

It is fascinating how little this correlates to the Tesla stock price. It has dropped a bit, down 8.4% in the last month, but it still up 80.8% over the last 6 months. I´m curious what kind of business model the shareholders is expecting from Tesla that does not involve selling cars.

[–] Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 32 points 3 days ago

Judging on the fact that it jumped up after election day, investors are expecting corporate nepotism to boost profits.

[–] Gsus4@mander.xyz 36 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent...or sth like that.

[–] suigenerix@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago

"In the short term, the market is a voting machine, but in the long term, it is a weighing machine" - Benjamin Graham ("father" of value investing and mentor to Warren Buffett)

Meaning that in the short term, stock prices can be swayed from a company's true value by investors' emotions and opinions.

But eventually the stock price will align with the company's actual profitability and growth potential.

And you're right that these are crazy times, and the "short term" irrationality can last a lot longer than past experiences.

Historically, we've used examples like the 17th century tulip mania, or the dot com boom, but it won't surprise me if Tesla becomes the poster child for this quote in the future.

[–] PrettyFlyForAFatGuy@feddit.uk 7 points 3 days ago

I imagine that the federal government will be buying Teslas by the shipload

The army will be replacing humvees with cybertrucks.

Tesla will announce a CyberTank to replace the M1

i'm only sort of joking

[–] prodigalsorcerer@lemmy.ca 11 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The share price isn't based on car sales. If it were just about car sales, it would be about 10% of the price it is now.

The share price is mostly ridiculous, but it is also people trying to get in early, on the assumption that they solve FSD, battery storage, Optimus (their robot), and battery manufacturing.

If they solve all of this, then Tesla could 10x again. It's very future dependent, and I think that future is a lot longer away than a lot of other shareholders think.

I got in at ~$20 per share. I've significantly reduced my position over the last few months, but I do still believe in the original mission of Tesla. I just don't think they're going to get there with Elon.

[–] Tja@programming.dev 4 points 3 days ago (4 children)

IMHO only FSD is something they could potentially achieve, but it took them so long the competition is catching up. At least in Europe (where Teslas have barely functioning traffic sign recognition) other manufacturers have level 3 ADAS in production. Like legally certified and everything.

Their batteries ( both mobile and grid storage) are nothing special, the 4680 is MiA, catl and BYD have bigger market shares already, I don't know about Panasonic and other manufacturers, could be too.

And the robot is vaporware unless proven otherwise.

I'm not a gambler so I won't short it (Elon can give himself trillions in government assistance now), but sure as hell wouldn't hold it anymore.

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[–] chilicheeselies@lemmy.world 15 points 3 days ago (1 children)

My understanding ia that they get carbon credits for producing EVs which they then sell to carbon producers to offset. They also produce batteries.

That being said, its not going to take a deep dive unless they have consecutive missed eps targets. Even then though, part of Elons MO is to promose some visonary tech that takes year to peoduce so just sitbtight man becauae im telling you its coming...

This time around its robots for the home. Laughable not because we dont have the technology, but who has the disposable income to afford it? Even if they come out, and it turns out people buy them (which also means not heing turned off by musk); where is the moat? What stops a competitor like boston dynamics, samsung, etc from seeing it as validation of a market and then entering it?

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[–] thefluffiest@feddit.nl 56 points 3 days ago (1 children)

You couldn’t pay me to drive one

[–] TheFriar@lemm.ee 35 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (6 children)

Dude every single time one of my uber/lyft drivers picks me up in a Tesla, I alwats have some kind of issue. The door handles fail to extend to let me get in (what problem was this design even solving?), when I’m inside the way to open the door is so counter-intuitive even after doing it a few times it still takes me way too long to get it open (dumbest design ever…it’s just a button?), the seatbelt buckle doesn’t click, etc.. Cheap fuckin construction.

Just terrible, stupid, designs. Add in the fascist bullshit? Fucking forget it. This asshole is ruining a good chance to cut down on emissions by being the face of EVs

[–] absentbird@lemm.ee 15 points 3 days ago (3 children)

The door handles were supposed to be more aerodynamic, but other manufacturers have solved the issue more elegantly.

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[–] MonkeMischief@lemmy.today 17 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Oo I hope this starts a wave of catchy mockery towards everything he touches and everything like him, like:

Go fash, stonks crash.

[–] vorb0te@lemmynsfw.com 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

The thing is that the far right in Germany is nowhere near as popular as the Republicans in the US. And the intersection of Tesla buyers and far right voters is very small. Musk made a grave mistake in the marketing department here.

Comparable to endorsing Jill Stein in the US as company for small arms.

[–] Gammelfisch@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

Hopefully, the Tesla nose dive spreads to his other businesses.

[–] hungryphrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 2 days ago

If I ever see a fucking Cybertruck here, I'm moving to Antarctica.

Not sure if it's just the promotion of the far-right parties.

For me at the latest after his "Heil Hitler" salute I'd be completely ashamed driving that car.

Might be interesting to see the exact daily timeline of the sales, if it collapsed after the 20th january.

[–] b3an@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago

Fuck around and find out is his new M.O.

[–] Kyrgizion@lemmy.world 33 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Two of my coworkers were the biggest Elon fanboys and were the first in the office to drive Teslas. That was years ago though. I hear a lot less from them now. I wonder why...

[–] krimson@lemmy.world 32 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I'd be bloody embarrassed if I drove one.

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[–] Tja@programming.dev 5 points 3 days ago

I'm probably not your coworker, but it was the case with me. I liked the guy when he was a weird nerd and I liked the car.

I still like the car to be honest but I'm seriously considering buying a bumper sticker with "I bought this before I knew he was a Nazi".

No way I'm buying another one as long and he's related to the company in any way.

[–] reksas@sopuli.xyz 6 points 2 days ago (6 children)

when i see someone drive tesla, i feel like i should show my disapproval somehow. But i dont know how to do that in such way the message is understood without making the other one defensive since that would just make the problem worse.

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[–] Punchshark@lemmy.ca 26 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Can we send another tesla to space with the musk rat tied to it?

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 27 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I always like to point out that Mr. "We Must Colonize Mars" is too chickenshit to get on one of his own rockets. Even motherfucking Bezos had enough balls to do that.

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[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 20 points 3 days ago

When it comes to EVs, the US is on the wrong side of history. Tesla may be there, but the US main export is oil and has been for at least 15 years.

Tesla is valuable because they're looking to put taxi drivers out of a job forever.

China on the other hand has hardly any oil. Same with most of Europe. On this issue at least, we should be allies.

Between them the US, Russia and Saudi Arabia will still boil the Earth, but at least we won't be fuelling their war machines while they do.

[–] floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

He'll make the world's first reverse class action lawsuit accusing everyone who hasn't bought a Tesla of boycott

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[–] Willem20@feddit.nl 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

IIRC this fact also had to do with a German government subsidizing EVs that ended late last year, I could be wrong to. Any German that can help clear this up?

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[–] wabafee@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago

Swatzicar!!!!

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