NEW YORK (AP) — Europeans still aren’t buying Teslas with figures out Wednesday showing sales plunged for a fifth month in a row in May, a blow to investors who had hoped anger toward Elon Musk would have faded by now.
Tesla sales fell 28% last month in 30 European countries even as the overall market for electric vehicles expanded sharply, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. The poor showing comes after Tesla’s billionaire CEO had promised a “major rebound” was coming last month, adding to a recent buying frenzy among investors.
“Please buy Tesla again! We kicked him out already, all is good now!”
Talking to family, coworkers and friends: the public image of Musk took a long while to destroy (thanks to no-one but Musk), and Tesla is connected to it 100%. These my peers only just about got to where this is now the majority opinion.
FWIW I’m seeing more and more new electrical cars on the roads, none of which are Tesla. And a lot of those who drive one feel compelled to apologize for it.