Tesla sales in Germany slump in February, in line with European markets

By Alessandro Parodi

(Reuters) - Tesla car sales in Germany fell by 76% in February, data showed on Wednesday, adding to the collapse in sales of Elon Musk's EV brand across Europe in what could be a loyalty test for the close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Tesla sales were down 24% in the Netherlands, 42% in Sweden, 48% in both Norway and Denmark, 45% in France, 55% in Italy, 10% in Spain and 53% in Portugal, official data showed this week.

Outside Europe, Australia reported a 66% drop in Tesla registrations in the month, while the brand's worldwide sales of cars produced in China were down 49% due to intense pressure from Chinese rivals.

Britain bucked the trend, reporting a 21% jump in Tesla sales last month but that lagged a 42% overall rise in battery electric vehicles sales.

According to Germany's road traffic agency, Tesla sold 1,429 cars in Germany, a decline of 76%, an even bigger decline than the 60% drop in January. Overall, sales of electric vehicles rose 30.8% to 35,949 in Germany.

Musk's support of far-right parties in Europe, including for Germany's AfD that came second in last month's national elections, appears to have hurt Tesla's sales on the continent, which were down 45% in January from a year earlier.

Industry data showed new car sales in Britain fell 1% in February, despite growing demand for EVs which now account for one in four new cars sold.

Chinese automakers extended gains in the UK, with newcomer Chery selling 1,244 cars, more than BYD's 1,177.

(Reporting by DhanushVignesh Babu and Anandita Mehrotra in Bengaluru, Alessandro Parodi in Gdansk; Additional reporting by Christoph Steitz in Frankfurt and Toby Sterling in Amsterdam; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar, Janane Venkatraman, Nick Carey, Louise Heavens and Christina Fincher)