Tesla's September sales up 2.7% in France, up 20.5% in Denmark
Its sales continued to rise in Norway, Spain, and fall in Sweden
Company struggling with rising competition, backlash vs Musk
Tesla's sales rose in France and Denmark in September for the first month this year and continued to grow in Norway and Spain, local industry data showed on Wednesday, with its revamped Model Y coming in as the best-selling model in Denmark.
However, the U.S. EV maker's new car registrations - a proxy for sales - fell in Sweden for the ninth straight month.
Tesla has struggled in Europe this year as its small, ageing model lineup has faced growing competition from EVs launched by European and Chinese rivals. The company has not released a new mass-market model since the Model Y in 2020.
RISING COMPETITION AND BACKLASH VS MUSK
Tesla's competitive problems have been compounded by a backlash by some consumers against its CEO Elon Musk, who helped bankroll Donald Trump's U.S. presidential election victory last year and has championed European far-right parties.
Tesla has argued that its revamped Model Y, which it began delivering in many European markets in June, would lead a recovery in European sales.
For January-August, Tesla's sales were down 42.9% year-on-year in the European Union and down 32.6% in Europe as a whole.
China's BYD outsold Tesla in the EU in August for the second time this year, though Tesla outperformed its Chinese rival across Europe as a whole.
Despite recent gains in some markets because of the new Model Y, Tesla needs new models to regain momentum as more affordable EVs continue to hit the market in Europe, said Andy Palmer, chairman of EV advocacy group Electric Vehicles UK.
"Tesla may still be a big fish, but the pond is now full of serious competitors," Palmer said. "Unless it refreshes its range, it will keep losing market share."
In September, Tesla reported a 2.74% annual increase in sales in France and a 20.5% rise in Denmark.
In Norway, Tesla's registrations were up 14.7%, with its Model Y and Model 3 taking the top two spots for sales. Tesla sales rose 3.4% in Spain, boosted by a 60% increase in new Model Y registrations.
But in Sweden, which was Tesla's worst-performing market in Europe in the first eight months of the year, its registrations fell 64% to 1,726 cars, although that was up sharply from the 210 cars it registered there in August.