Germany Rebukes Elon Musk's Far-Right Election Meddling, Tesla Sales Drop 76 Percent

It sure looks like most of Germany's EV-buying public are not fans of the fact that Tesla CEO Elon Musk cozied up to the country's far-right AfD party during their recent election. Sales dropped 76 percent to just 1,429 cars in February, according to the German Federal Motor Transport Authority. You might think that means overall EV sales were down as well, but that's just not the case — it was up 31 percent in the second month of the year.

This downturn almost certainly stems from Musk's feverish endorsement of Germany's far-right "Alternative for Germany" party in the months leading up to the country's election on February 23. He was all-in for the anti-immigration, pro-Russian party that took second place in the election, according to Bloomberg. Luckily, the more-likely-than-not next Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has vowed to keep the party at arm's length.

Through the first couple of months of 2025, Tesla's sales are down 71 percent in Germany and 44 percent in France. They represent the two biggest electric vehicle markets in the European Union. However, there is some good news for Tesla. Sales were up 11 percent in the United Kingdom in the first two months of the year.

During the German election, Musk called for citizens to move beyond "a focus on past guilt," according to the New York Times. Of course, that "past guilt" is over the Holocaust, so that may have rubbed some folks the wrong way.

Throughout Europe, Teslas are being targeted by activists and vandals, according to The Times:

Activists in London have started a campaign encouraging people to ditch their Teslas and cancel their accounts on X. In Strasbourg, France, an activist group is handing out stickers warning the Tesla chief to "Stay Away from the E.U." Over the weekend, Tesla vehicles in a parking lot in southern France were set ablaze, which prosecutors said was "not at all accidental."

Here's more on this activist action, from Bloomberg:

Tesla also contended with attacks on railway infrastructure surrounding the company's German plant last month. The activist group that's claimed responsibility for the setting fire to equipment said online that it's trying to prevent the company from expanding its factory.

While Musk's politics certainly had a big hand in this sales drop, it's not the only factor at play. Some of the decline can be chalked up to the fact the Model Y — Tesla's most popular vehicle — is in the middle of a production line changeover to make way for the facelifted version. Customers may be holding out for that car rather than buying a current Model Y.

We'll certainly get a clearer picture of where Tesla is headed once Model Y production is normalized, but I can only assume the bump that provides will not be nearly enough to make up for the fact millions — if not billions — of people are turned off by Musk and his weird, fascist antics. When you alienate pretty much everyone in your customer base, you quickly find there aren't many people to sell to.