Tesla is always going out of style in Europe and some parts of North America as a result of Elon Musk’s hard-line social bent. At the same time, competition in the markets for electric vehicles ( EVs ), autonomous driving and self-driving taxis ( robotaxis ) is rapidly intensifying, putting Tesla’s future at risk.
In Europe, income of Tesla cars were over 50.4 % year-on-year in January, according to statistics reported by EV Magazine and other media outlets. The largest declines were recorded in Spain ( 75.4 % ), France ( 63.4 % ) and Germany ( 59.5 % ).
In Holland, where Tesla registrations hit an 18-month low, NL Times ( Netherlands news in English ) reported bumper stickers reading” I bought a Tesla, not an Elon” and” Where is the Stop Elon button on this thing”? – as well as symbols that were spray-painted on a Tesla shop in The Hague.
In the Netherlands, EV sales were led by Kia Motors, Volkswagen and Volvo ( which is owned by China’s Geely ) in January. In the UK, BYD licenses were significantly higher.
Then the blowback has spread to North America, where some 50 anti-Musk/anti-Tesla rallies have been reported from the San Francisco Bay Area to Manhattan. Functions and threats of graffiti, including fire and suspected arson at retailers, have been reported at various locations in the US. A broken glass and a blaze at a Tesla shop are being looked into by police in Salem, Oregon, where I live.
The Action Network,” an open system that helps individuals and groups to arrange for democratic factors” on the Internet, posted an offer to a” TeslaTakedown” event on February 15, sponsored by Dissenters of Seattle. ” Buy your Teslas, dump your share, visit the picket ranges”, it read. Tesla is” Hurting Musk,” Musk claims. Stopping Musk may help save lives and our democracy”.
A poll by Electrifying.com (” The Electric Car Experts” ) showed that 59 % of prospective car buyers were unlikely to purchase a Tesla because of their dislike for Elon Musk. According to the same poll, 56 % of potential buyers and 61 % of EV owners are willing to buy a Chinese EV.
Some Europeans disapprove of Musk’s relationship with President Donald Trump and help for right-wing democratic parties in Germany and the UK. His use of DOGE ( Department of Government Efficiency ) to defraud government agencies like USAID is opposed by left-leaning Americans. People find boycotting Tesla to be a quick response to Trump’s plan to make Canada the nation’s 51st status.
Tesla car registrations in the US dropped about 10 % year-on-year in January according to Motor Intelligence, and were over 12 % in California, according to the California New Car Dealers Association.
Data from February may provide a more accurate assessment of how significant a problem Tesla has in its home business is. Right-wing Musk and Trump supporters may react in the same way to the toxicity of the left-wing anti-Tesla activity in the US.
Meanwhile, BYD has begun offering autonomous driving features on vehicles priced below$ 10, 000. Furthermore, all BYD models priced above$ 13, 500 are now equipped with the company’s God’s Eye advanced driver assistance system, which was previously available only on models costing more than$ 30, 000. Some observers see another Vehicle price war in the offing given that Tesla vehicles with comparable features start at around$ 32,000.
Launched in 2023, BYD’s God’s Eye incorporates laser, millimeter-wave sensor, devices and ultrasound cameras. Its City Navigate on Autopilot is designed to manage traffic lights and intricate roads, prevent obstacles, change lanes and beat slower cars. God’s Eye may also understand highways, including on and off stairs, and park quickly.
Nvidia and China’s Horizon Robotics are both buying automatic leading integrated circuits from BYD. As reported by DigiTimes, God’s Eye is divided into three value and tech levels: entry-level, mid-range and high-end. Entry-level and mid-range use NVIDIA DRIVE Orin SoCs ( systems-on-chip ), while the high-end uses Horizon’s Journey 6 onboard computer system in what is reported to be its first commercial implementation.
Nvidia made it known last week that it is the third-largest investor in China’s WeRide, trailing just Robert Bosch and the Carlyle Group. WeRide, which went public on the Nasdaq next October, holds autonomous car permits in China, Singapore, the UAE and the US. WeRide even employs NVIDIA DRIVE Orin. Its cars are made by GAC, Geely, Nissan, Yutong and JMC-Ford, which is Ford’s joint walk with Jiangling Motors.
WeRide’s item line includes self-driving cars, cars, delivery trucks, street workers and passenger cars. The business runs commercial operations in more than 30 cities in 9 different countries around the world and is currently conducting Levels 2 ( partial automation with human monitoring and control ) and Level 4 ( high automation with human override ). Its robotaxis are on the streets of Guangzhou, Beijing, Nanjing, Ordos ( Inner Mongolia ), Suzhou and Abu Dhabi.
In the US, ride-hailing business Lyft plans to launch self-driving cars in Dallas, Texas, using tech from Mobileye” as soon as 2026″ in a fleet of cars owned by Chinese trading business Marubeni. Waymo expects to build its self-driving cars on the Uber game in Austin, Texas, in the near future, probably in March.
Waymo currently offers more than 150, 000 self-driving car trips per week for more than one million miles. It offers robotaxi , service in Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles and is also preparing to start companies in Atlanta, Miami and Tokyo.  ,
Next October, Waymo and Hyundai Motor announced plans to incorporate Waymo’s autonomous driving tech with Hyundai’s energy IONIQ 5 SUV. The Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant in Georgia, US, will be where the cars will become assembled. By the end of 2025, road assessments are expected to be conducted in preparation for the 2026 business roll-out.
In light of this, Musk stated to Tesla’s shareholders on its Q4 2024 earnings call at the end of January that the firm is “on track to conduct an initial start of uncontrolled Full Self Driving in Austin in June,” adding on X that he anticipates a “roll out to several cities in America by the end of this year.”
Despite the hype, Tesla is a follower, not a leader, in self-driving taxis. It is unclear how quickly or slowly a follower troubled Tesla might be given the delayed Robotaxi unveiling last year.
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