Honda Motor Co. and Hyundai Motor Co. were the biggest gainers in the EV segment, adding 1.8 and 1.5 percentage points of share, respectively. In Europe, Tesla registrations plummeted 63% last month in France, the European Union’s second-biggest market for battery-electric vehicles. The manufacturer registered only 1,141 cars in January, the fewest since August 2022, according to French industry association La Plateforme Automobile. Tesla underperformed the overall industry and total EV sales, which dipped 6.2% and 0.5%, respectively. Tesla registrations across EU countries fell 13% last year, with Germany accounting for much of the decline. Tesla’s sales plummeted 41% last year in Germany, while overall battery-electric vehicle sales declined 27%. The EV maker has struggled in the country due to an aging model lineup, increasing competition and the withdrawal of government subsidies in late 2023. Musk moved Tesla’s headquarters out of California in 2021 after defying lockdown policies during the pandemic. One of the company’s two EV assembly plants in the US is in Fremont, in the San Francisco Bay area. In July of last year, he announced that his companies X and SpaceX would also leave the state for Texas, citing a new law Governor Gavin Newsom signed that banned school districts from requiring teachers to notify parents of changes to a student’s gender identity. After the election, Newsom threatened to exclude Tesla from EV rebates that the state may offer if Trump follows through with threats to repeal federal tax credits for consumers. –With assistance from Craig Trudell. Related Articles