- Tesla is thriving in EV-mad Norway.
- The Scandinavian country has almost completely transitioned to EVs, and one in five cars sold there in August was a Tesla.
- It’s a rare bright spot for Tesla in Europe, where sales have collapsed so far this year.
Elon Musk’s nightmare across most of Europe is showing no sign of ending, but in EV-mad Norway, Tesla is thriving.
The Scandinavian nation is one of the first countries to have almost completely transitioned to electric vehicles, with battery-powered vehicles making up 97% of Norway’s new car sales in August.
Tesla is reaping the rewards of Norway’s EV obsession. The US automaker is the top-selling car brand of any kind in the country this year, and it saw its sales surge nearly 22% year over year in August, according to data from the Norwegian Road Federation.
Tesla’s success in Norway is a ray of light in an overall gloomy picture in Europe. The company’s sales have plunged this year amid growing EV competition, a stale product lineup, and public backlash over CEO Musk’s political interventions.
Tesla’s sales in Europe were down 40% year over year in July, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, while new registrations fell 47% in France and 84% in Sweden in August.
In addition to Norway, Tesla saw sales rise in Spain and Portugal last month. Musk has denied that Tesla is struggling in Europe, but the company is facing pressure from an influx of Chinese carmakers such as BYD, which have rapidly gained market share with a range of affordable electric models.
BYD has seen its sales surge in Europe so far this year, and the Chinese firm outsold Tesla in July for the second time in six months.
BYD’s EVs and hybrids are also proving popular in Norway’s EV utopia, with the company’s sales rising nearly 150% year over year in August.
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