BYD beats Tesla sales in Europe for the first time as UK vet drives Sherman tank over Model 3
The prediction that BYD will sell more electric cars than Tesla this year for the first time seems to be coming to fruition.
In Europe, in particular, Tesla shipments are at a multiyear low in important markets like Germany or UK, all the while electric vehicle sales in general are surging. During the first quarter, Tesla explained this trend with seasonality and claimed there might be postponed demand due to the staggered launch of the new Model Y and the respective factory pauses for retooling.
Now that Tesla sales in Germany have plunged 46% compared to last April and those in the UK have gone down 62%, that explanation seems to no longer be holding water. Sweden saw an 80% dip in Tesla sales, France 59%, and Spain 36%. Even in Norway, the stalwart of vehicle electrification in Europe, Tesla's market share has slumped from 18% to 11% of the market now.
This all comes on the back of a 28% increase in EV sales across the continent, with VW and BYD, in particular, marking the biggest gains. BYD sales rose 750% in Germany compared to last April, despite that it is subjected to a 10% generic and a 17% company-specific EU import tariff there. BYD has now managed to beat Tesla in EV sales in two consecutive quarters already, and it might very well log its first full year as the world's largest electric car maker in 2025.
In the UK, BYD notched a more than 300% year-on-year increase in sales last month, and has almost caught up to Tesla's numbers now, indicating a huge shift in attitude towards the Tesla brand.
As if to hammer the point home, a 98-year-old WWII vet drove a Sherman tank from his fighting days over a Tesla Model 3. The stunt saw the tank climb over the hood of a totalled Tesla, smashing its windows and flattening its roof and pillars in the process.
Surprisingly enough, the Model 3 wasn't completely pancaked by the 30-tonne war machine, but was nevertheless turned into a convertible for just a few split seconds of being run over by the Sherman.
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