Tesla's sales in Norway fell significantly in February. However, an associate professor from the University of Bergen has a simple explanation for this.
Tesla has ended up on a new hate list in Norway, where sales of the brand are otherwise in free fall.
Registrations of new Tesla Model Ys have fallen by 70 percent in February 2025 compared to the same period the year before. This comes after several years where Norway has otherwise been one of Tesla's strongest markets.
– Tesla is at the top of the hate list at NAF and the Consumer Council, says Thor Øivind Jenssen, associate professor at the University of Bergen, to TV2.no.
The decline in sales began in January, when 38 percent fewer Teslas were registered than in January 2024. On February 27, Tesla needed another 550 cars to reach the same number as a year ago.
This is a significant decrease from the 1,749 cars registered in the same period last year. The trend is not unique to Norway.
In Sweden, registrations also fell by 44 percent in February, while sales figures in Denmark have not yet been published.
According to Norwegian TV2, a total of 8,360 new electric cars were registered in Norway in February. Robert Næss, investment director at Nordea, believes that the reasons for Tesla's declining sales are due to several things.
– I think it's a combination of some people having a negative impression of Musk and the fact that a Tesla is no longer a significantly better buy than other electric cars, Næss writes in a comment to the media.
Thor Øivind Jenssen, who researches corporate reputation and consumer attachment, believes that the decline is solely due to a deteriorating reputation among consumers.
– There have been several faults with the cars, and when customers complain, arrogance and slow service are shown, says Jenssen.
Tesla has experienced a general decline in sales in Europe at the beginning of the year. But there may be several explanations for this, as in January Tesla lifted the veil on the facelifted Model Y.
A car branded FORST may start delivering this month.
It may therefore also be the waiting time for the new car that causes drivers to hold back.
