Materials are stacked at the Tesla electric vehicle Gigafactory construction site in Grünheide, located on the outskirts of Berlin. /Courtesy of Yonhap News Agency
Materials are stacked at the Tesla electric vehicle Gigafactory construction site in Grünheide, located on the outskirts of Berlin. /Courtesy of Yonhap News Agency

Sales of American electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla in Germany in the first quarter of this year have dropped to one-third of last year's level.

Bloomberg News reported, citing data from the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), that the number of new Tesla cars registered with the authorities in the first quarter of this year was 4,935, a decrease of 62% compared to the first quarter of last year.

Tesla has been experiencing poor sales since CEO Elon Musk participated in the Donald Trump administration after the U.S. presidential election in November last year.

Musk publicly supported far-right parties in other countries, including the Alternative for Germany (AfD), which sparked criticism in Europe. In Germany, there have been incidents of fires presumed to be caused by arson involving Tesla vehicles since February. On the 31st of last month, climate activists splashed blue paint, the symbol color of the AfD, on Tesla's store in Berlin to protest Musk's political involvement.

The global delivery volume announced the day before for the first quarter of this year decreased by 13% compared to the same period last year, recording the lowest figure since the second quarter of 2022 at 336,681.

Robert Habeck, Germany's Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, said at a press conference on tariffs related to the U.S. that "interest in Tesla has significantly declined in recent months" and noted that "this could present a good opportunity for the German automotive industry."