Chinese car giant overtakes Tesla in EU after drivers revolt against Musk

Yahoo

22-05-2025

Chinese electric car maker BYD has outsold Tesla in Europe for the first time, in what experts described as a 'watershed moment'.
BYD sold 7,231 electric vehicles (EVs) across the EU and UK during April, slightly more than the 7,165 sold by Tesla, according to research by Jato Dynamics.
It underscores the remarkable growth of the Chinese brand, which only began expanding across the Continent in 2022 and is now challenging more established Western carmakers.
Felipe Munoz, an automotive analyst at Jato, said: 'Although the difference between the two brands' monthly sales totals may be small, the implications are enormous.
'This is a watershed moment for Europe's car market, particularly when you consider that Tesla has led the European BEV market for years.'
Tesla's sales in Europe have been sliding recently, with experts blaming both the company's ageing line-up of cars as well as the declining popularity of Elon Musk, its chief executive.
Mr Musk's decision to align himself with US President Donald Trump and promote Right-wing political candidates across Europe has alienated many Tesla buyers. Protesters have gathered outside of the company's showrooms calling for a 'Tesla takedown'.
The carmaker has also been subject to arson attacks and its vehicles vandalised. This week, Mr Musk accused protesters of 'massive violence' against his businesses and threatened to send the organisers to prison.
In April, Jato said Tesla's European sales had nearly halved compared to a year earlier.
Separate figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association showed Tesla sales dropped 36pc in the first three months of the year. By comparison, BYD's April sales were up by 359pc – although that number included plug-in hybrids alongside EVs.
The Chinese company – which overtook Tesla to become the world's biggest manufacturer of electric cars last year – is already outselling rival European brands Fiat, Dacia, and Seat in the UK.
The new figures came as Jato reported a 28pc rise in EV sales across Europe as a whole compared to a year earlier, with the market share of electric cars rising from 13pc to 17pc.
Sales of all types of cars stayed almost static at 1.8m. But the market share taken by Chinese brands such as MG, BYD and Leapmotor more than doubled from 26,000 to about 53,300, or 5pc of the market.
At the same time, Chinese-owned Western brands such as Volvo, Smart, Polestar and Lotus saw their sales fall from about 37,800 to 32,200 cars, lowering their share from 3.5pc to 3pc.
The biggest seller of EVs in Europe was German car giant Volkswagen, however, with 23,500 sold in April. VW was followed by BMW, Skoda, Audi and Renault.