Tesla sales plunge 74% in the Netherlands as Elon Musk faces European backlash
Tesla’s car sales in the Netherlands dropped by nearly 74 percent in April compared to the same month last year, according to new data from Dutch industry groups BOVAG, RAI Vereniging, and RDC. The decline follows a report this week that Tesla’s board has launched a search for a new CEO and separate reporting that Elon Musk has stepped away from his advisory role in the Trump administration.
The Dutch auto market as a whole shrank by 4 percent in April, but Tesla’s numbers fell significantly further. The company registered just 382 new vehicles last month, compared to 1,457 in April 2024. In March, Tesla sales in the Netherlands had already dropped by 60 percent year over year. From January through April 2025, Tesla registered 3,825 new vehicles, down from 8,299 during the same period last year.
The company did not appear in April’s top-selling electric vehicle rankings. Models from Kia and Škoda led the segment, with the Kia EV3 recording the highest number of registrations among fully electric vehicles.
The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Tesla’s board of directors has contacted several executive search firms to begin identifying possible successors to Musk. The report, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, said some board members were concerned that Musk’s time in Washington had interfered with his leadership of Tesla.
That article was followed by additional reporting that Musk has left his post at the White House, where he had chaired the Trump administration’s DOGE advisory body on government spending.
Tesla disputed the Journal’s reporting. Board chair Robyn Denholm posted on X, saying, “The CEO of Tesla is Elon Musk, and the board has full confidence in his ability to execute the exciting growth plan going forward.” She called the report “absolutely false.”
Tesla did not comment on whether any internal discussions had taken place about Musk’s time commitments. After the reports were published, Musk stated on X that he would scale back his political involvement and refocus on the company. Tesla also posted a statement reading: “Tesla has been declared dead many times. But it will be just fine thanks to our owners, employees, and supporters.”
Tesla’s drop in the Netherlands mirrors broader global trends. The company reported a 13 percent decline in worldwide deliveries in the first quarter of 2025. Earnings and profits also fell during that period. According to Bloomberg, Musk’s personal net worth dropped by approximately 100 billion dollars due to the company’s falling stock price.
In April, the Dutch car market showed a small rebound in hybrid and electric vehicle sales. A total of 9,206 fully electric vehicles were registered in the Netherlands, a 1.5 percent increase over April 2024. EVs accounted for 33.9 percent of all new registrations, while hybrid cars led the market with 13,329 registrations, or 49.1 percent.
