NEW YORK — Tesla sales plunged by more than half last month in several European countries in a sign that Elon Musk could struggle to revive the company after he shifts from his Washington work to running the automaker again.
Tesla sales collapsed in April by more than two-thirds from a year earlier in Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark, according to auto groups and government agencies Friday. Sales at the Austin, Texas, company dropped by 59% in France and 38% in Norway.
The countries are not major drivers of sales overall, but they are the first to report April results and thus a foretaste of possible trouble elsewhere as Tesla reels from protests and boycotts over Musk wading into politics.
In Germany, where he told voters their country was lost if they didn’t vote for a candidate widely derided for her extreme views, sales plunged 62% in the first three months this year. German sales for April are not out yet.
Financial analysts covering Tesla are worried about the Musk backlash but caution it’s not clear exactly how much to blame politics for the hit. Other factors suppressing sales include Tesla’s aging model lineup and new offerings from rival electric vehicles makers, such as China BYD.
Tesla also had to shut down factories for several weeks this year while upgrading its best selling Model Y sport utility vehicle, p