Tesla’s losing its grip on the European electric vehicle market—fast.
According to data from JATO Dynamics, Tesla’s share of the market dropped from 18.4% in early 2024 to just 7.7% this year. That’s a staggering 58% decline in just two months.
Chinese EV makers are now leaving Tesla in the dust. Last month alone, they sold nearly 20,000 vehicles across Europe, easily beating Tesla’s 15,700.
February was Tesla’s worst in five years, with its market share sinking to 9.6%. Meanwhile, January was even worse, with European sales crashing 45% compared to last year.
📉 What’s behind Tesla’s decline?
JATO analyst Felipe Muñoz believes Tesla’s struggles are down to three key factors:
1️⃣ Elon Musk’s growing political involvement, which is alienating potential buyers.
2️⃣ Fierce competition from other EV brands, especially those from China.
3️⃣ Tesla’s Model Y transition, as the company phases out the current version before launching its update.
Tesla’s limited model range makes it especially vulnerable during model changes. With the Model Y being its best-selling car, any delay or disruption hits sales hard.
🤔 So what’s this meme about Musk?
As Tesla’s troubles mount, the internet has been quick to remind people of Musk’s own words.
The Community Independent Journal shared a meme quoting Musk:
“Empathy is a weakness…” – Elon Musk
…so f*ck ’em…
Almost felt bad for Elon watching his brand go up in smoke—then I remembered empathy is “the fundamental weakness of Western civilization.” Moved on.
🔍 Did Musk actually say that?
Sort of. The quote comes from a discussion on The Joe Rogan Experience, where Musk argued that Western civilization suffers from “suicidal empathy.” Here’s the key part:
“The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy. The empathy exploit. They’re exploiting a bug in Western civilization, which is the empathy response.”
Musk was warning about how empathy can be “weaponised.” However, given Tesla’s current nosedive, many now see it as ironic.
🚀 What’s next for Tesla?
Tesla’s European struggles show no sign of stopping. With fierce competition, production delays, and Musk’s controversial takes, the road ahead looks bumpy.
As for the memes? They’re just getting started.
Related: Watch: Trump turns White House into Tesla showroom & uses sales pitch – electric take downs
