In Europe, Tesla Sales Are Rising Despite Views on Elon Musk

Europeans seem to have gotten over their antipathy toward Elon Musk.A year ago, Tesla sales in Europe were in free fall after Mr.Musk, the automaker’s chief executive, appeared to turn off car buyers with his vocal support for right-wing politicians in Britain and Europe and his role as President Trump’s cost-cutting czar.But in recent months Tesla’s sales across Europe have rebounded sharply amid a broader surge in electric vehicle sales, which now account for more than a fifth of new car purchases on the continent.Tesla’s vehicle sales rose 77 percent from January through May compared with a year earlier, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association said this week.

In May, Tesla sold 22,000 cars in Europe.That’s more than Ford, Nissan or Honda, even when including their fossil-fuel models.Many people seem to have put aside their personal feelings about Mr.

Musk after Tesla cut prices for its entry-level models to levels that are competitive with comparable gasoline or diesel vehicles and inexpensive cars from China.In some countries, Tesla’s Model Y sport utility vehicles can be leased for less than 300 euros, or about $340, a month.“Once you go down the pricing scale, people pay less attention to ethics or morality,” said Matthias Schmidt, an independent analyst in Berlin who tracks electric vehicles sales.

“Tesla’s product has become so appealing from a price perspective, it’s almost too good to refuse.”Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.When Mr.Musk became a part of the Trump administration last year, Hansjoerg Quilitzsch, a retired IBM employee who lives in southwestern Germany, stuck a bumper sticker on his Tesla Model Y that read, “I bought this before Elon went crazy.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

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