Early car sales data for January is starting to arrive from countries across the pond, and they paint an alarming picture for Tesla. Sales are crashing in France, Germany, and the UK—all affluent countries that are key markets for Tesla’s electric vehicles. Coming on the heels of a large financial miss, it’s just one more problem for the automaker.
Tesla sales dropped around 13 percent across Europe in 2024, but so far this year, the scale of the problem is far greater. In France, sales of new Teslas fell by 63 percent, while total car sales in the country fell by just 6 percent, with EV sales dropping just half a percent.
Germany was already looking like lost ground for Tesla—its 41 percent drop in 2024 accounted for most of Tesla’s lost sales across Europe. That must make the 59 percent drop in German Tesla sales recorded during January even more painful on the profit and loss statements.
Across the Channel, the British auto industry just released its sales data for January. Here, Tesla sales fell less precipitously—just 12 percent. However, battery EV sales were 35 percent higher in the UK in January 2025 than in January 2024. The cake is growing, but Tesla is getting to eat less and less of it.
In fact, no Tesla cracked the UK’s top 10 best-seller list last month, something that has regularly happened in the past, although that may be due to having just two models for >sale in most markets.
Large declines have also been recorded in Sweden (44 percent), Norway (38 percent), and the Netherlands (42 percent).
I had a Mazda Pricidia (MX-3) for a few years before I bought the Ranger. Thing was great. I had the rear seat pulled out and got a joiner pal build a custom wooden bed to put in. Did double duty, was enough to hold a week’s worth of veneer stone and thinset plus my tools. Built-in storage boxes under the top. And with the front seats folded all the way forward there was an extra piece I could drop in, and all of a sudden you’ve got enough space for a double size inflatable camping mattress. I miss that thing.
Yeah that sounds like a pretty decent solution. I know someone who did something similar to a Volvo estate. Bit crazy though that we’ve got to modify old vehicles to get a suitable work motor - seems like a gap in the market. VW made some sensible size pickups back in the 80s - but like the jumbuck they are old now. I hate to say it, but you might do better with a transit or sprinter. It’s enclosed space but you’ve got room for tools n stuff.
Yeah, too many people look at a truck and say to themselves: I think that’d do to take the kid to football practice and myself to the office!
They’re just not making trucks for working anymore, and I personally am pissed!
I suppose I really should think about getting a small/medium sized van… just irks me a bit. I guess growing up the only tradies using a van were painters, plasterers and glaziers. And folk with real jobs had trucks…🤣
Yeah I know what your saying, I’m thinking the last decent pickup truck was a Hilux around twenty years ago. I’ve never had one but I’ve had mates who did and who really reckoned em. I’ve driven one on a farm I worked on, it was old and not road legal but it was an amazing farm motor. But yeah, the new ones are too wide imo. Like you, I fuckin hate it when I’m trying to get back from work and it’s school run, all the parents picking up their kids in pristine, huge trucks that they don’t even know how to drive!
But yeah, if you just want functionality I’d say grit your teeth and get a transit. An swb transit will get anywhere in a city, plus you can put a workshop in back. You might wanna tail lift being a mason, I dunno. But lithium leisure batteries are getting crazy cheap at the mo, put a 500w solar panel on roof and regulator charging lithium battery and you’ll run a 2kw inverter no prob. You’d prob get all the bits for under £500 and then it’s just a bit of wiring. I have a similar setup myself, except I live in it