The first quarter of 2025 has proven to be turbulent for Tesla because the car manufacturer of the electric vehicle is in the middle of a significant downturn. While the complete global numbers are still dropping, a trend is clear: Tesla loses ground in the most important markets – and competitors such as BMW appear to absorb the gap.
According to Tesla, the global deliveries fell by 13 percent in the first quarter of 2025 and a total of 336,681 vehicles – the lowest quarterly value of the company since 2022. While this may appear modest on the surface, a deeper view of the regional performance shows how the decline of Tesla from Tesla has become.
Dramatic declines across Europe
The situation of Tesla is particularly bad in Europe. Sales in Germany, one of Tesla’s largest European markets, collapsed 62.2 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. According to the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), Tesla recorded only 4,935 vehicles from January to March 2025. The March alone recorded 42.5 percent compared to the previous year, a strong contrast to the broader EV market in Germany, which grew by 36 percent in the same period.
Other European markets tell a similarly dark story:
- France: Tesla sales fell by 37 percent
- Sweden: 64 percent lower
- Denmark and the Netherlands: Both experienced about two thirds of the Tesla sales back
While these markets can be lower compared to China or the USA, the consistent pattern of double -digit losses shows a decreasing enthusiasm for the brand on the entire continent. However, there is a restriction: Part of the Tesla volume waste can be attributed to the temporary disorder at its Berlin Gigafactory, which converted to start producing the redesigned model y.
Tesla’s performance in China, the world’s largest EV market, was comparatively better – but still far from being ideal. Deliveries declined by 11.5 percent, which is less serious, but a worrying trend.
USA and Canada: BMW takes the opportunity
In contrast to Tesla’s decline in sales, the BMW structure of BMW has increased the volume. In the United States, BMW turnover from BMW rose by 26.4 percent in the first quarter of 2025 and a total of 13,585 units. The biggest success story comes from the BMW i4, which recorded a sales increase of 57 percent. In the meantime, the Canadian BMW BEV turnover increased by 8 percent and continued the positive trend.
Other brands also used failure from Teslas. General Motors recorded a proud increase in the EV turnover by 94 percent for the quarter and provided 31,887 vehicles. Even Rivian, who recorded a decline of 36 percent, managed to exceed Tesla in certain metrics. Cadillac, the luxury low of GM, decreased easily, but the start of the Escalade IQ and OptiQ EVS increased the total sale for the brand. The Ford Mustang Mach-E is one of the outstanding EVs in terms of sales, followed by the Chevrolet Equinox.
At the beginning of the Q2, the automotive world will observe exactly whether Tesla can recover – or whether the cracks will continue to deepen in its global dominance.
