Tesla sales, Europe disappoints again (but not Norway)

Tesla confirmed its difficulties on the European market, in Northern Europe in particular, with a 59% drop in November (compared to November last year) in Sweden. Last month's registrations in the Nordic country's car market totalled 588 against generally weak sales (-15% overall) but favourable for electrics and plug-ins. Over the eleven-month period, Tesla saw sales drop from 19,099 units last year to 6,341 cars sold this year (a drop of 66.3%). Monthly registrations also dropped 58% in France, with 1,593 vehicles sold, and 49% (to 534 cars) in Denmark.

The only exception was the Norwegian market, with a resounding 175% jump. In November, 6,215 cars were sold, driven by the renewal of the Model Y. The eleven-month sales figure of 28,606 units marks the record for the most cars sold in a year on the Norwegian market, surpassing Volkswagen, which sold 26,575 in 2016.

New Model Y aside, analysts pointed to growing competition in a crowded European market, especially from new entrants from China, and the ageing Tesla range. The American electric vehicle manufacturer is showing difficulty in recovering market share losses in Europe.

In Denmark, Model 3 registrations in November rose 29 per cent to 326 units, making it the eighth best-selling car in the country, according to Mobility Denmark, while Model Y registrations plummeted 74 per cent, according to data from Bilstatistik.dk, which manages Scandinavia's largest automotive database.