In the midst of perhaps the worst year in the company’s history, Tesla finally has some good news to tout.
Despite a prolonged sales slump throughout much of Europe of late, Norway has stuck by the embattled electric vehicle powerhouse, CNBC reported. The Scandinavian country has actually recorded a 54% increase in year-over-year Tesla purchases since June 2024, according to recent data from the Norwegian Road Federation.
This is no fluke, either. Norway recorded a 115.3% yearly increase in registrations for Tesla’s updated Model Y SUV and a staggering 213% increase in new car sales in May. Even for a nation as EV-friendly as Norway, these are shocking numbers relative to Tesla’s current standing throughout the rest of the global marketplace.
Why has Norway stood by Tesla while so many other countries have been participating in formal boycotts of the company? Even the country’s leaders aren’t entirely sure, but they have some theories.
“In general terms, I think it just has to do with the fact that they deliver a car which has quite a lot of value for money and is what Norwegians need,” Christina Bu, secretary general of the Norwegian EV Association, an organization that represents electric car owners in the country, told CNBC.
This is not to say that Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s recent political activities have escaped notice in Norway, though.
“So, this has definitely been a big debate in Norway as well,” Bu acknowledged. “What Elon Musk has been saying and doing the last year or so — so it definitely affects people, but not too many because their market share is remarkable really.”
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