Tesla gains market in France, Norway in February

March 2 : Elon Musk’s Tesla gained market share in France and Norway in February, official data showed, signalling stabilisation in Europe after two straight years of declining sales.

In France, the automaker’s registrations, a proxy for sales, rose 55 per cent even as most rivals sold fewer cars than a year ago.

They increased 32 per cent in Norway, but fell 18 per cent in Denmark, the first countries to publish February data, with others including Italy and Spain set to report through the day.

Tesla saw European sales drop 27 per cent last year amid rising competition, particularly from Chinese EV brands, controversy over Musk’s politics and an ageing model lineup.

Last year Tesla unveiled cheaper versions of its Model Y and Model 3 in the United States and Europe, which started to roll out to consumers late last year.

The company’s market share in the European Union, Britain and the European Free Trade Association slid only marginally to 0.8 per cent in January from 1 per cent in the same month in 2025. 

But that is still far below its 1.8 per cent market share in 2025, 2.5 per cent in 2024 and 2.9 per cent in 2023, when its signature Model Y SUV was the world’s best-selling model.