Tesla Reports Record 13.5% Sales Plunge Amid Musk Controversy, Rising EV Competition

Tesla’s Q2 sales mark the steepest year-over-year decline in company history, as political backlash and Chinese competition take a toll — despite a surprising stock surge.

July-2, 2025: Tesla’s once-unstoppable growth engine has sputtered again.

In a regulatory filing on Wednesday, the electric vehicle giant revealed it sold 384,122 cars in the second quarter of 2025 — down 13.5% from the same period last year, marking the largest annual decline in Tesla’s history. That translates to a shortfall of nearly 60,000 vehicles compared to Q2 2024.

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However, in a twist that baffled some observers, Tesla shares opened nearly 4% higher following the news. That’s because the sales figure beat some of Wall Street’s worst-case projections, which had anticipated a steeper collapse.

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🔻 Political Fallout Dampens Sales

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Much of the drag is being blamed on CEO Elon Musk’s political alignment with President Donald Trump, including his now-resigned position in the administration.

• Musk’s continued political activism has triggered widespread protests and vandalism at Tesla showrooms across the US and Europe.
• Though Tesla does not disclose regional sales, vehicle registrations suggest a sharp fall in both markets — even as EV adoption rises broadly.

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🇨🇳 China and BYD Threaten Tesla’s Crown

Tesla’s pain doesn’t end with political fallout. Chinese EV makers, especially BYD, are rapidly closing the gap:

• BYD reported 1 million EVs sold in the first half of 2025, compared to Tesla’s 721,000 units, pushing Tesla to the brink of losing its global EV leadership title.
• China — Tesla’s second-largest market — is also cooling for the brand amid aggressive domestic competition and pricing wars.

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📉 Two Quarters in the Red

This is Tesla’s second consecutive quarterly decline, following a similar 13% slump in Q1 — and its first annual sales decline in 2024, breaking a decade-long growth streak.

• The only other major quarterly drop came in 2020 during COVID-19 disruptions.

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📊 Stock Swings and Investor Sentiment

Despite the poor numbers, Tesla stock has rebounded 35% since its April low:

• Shares crashed over 50% from December to April, after a post-election rally evaporated due to mounting backlash.
• A partial recovery began after Musk stepped down from the Trump cabinet and unveiled Tesla’s long-awaited robotaxi rollout, rekindling some investor optimism.

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⚡ Outlook: Can Tesla Reclaim Momentum?

While Tesla remains the world’s most valuable automaker by market cap, its future dominance is being questioned.
With brand loyalty weakening, global competition intensifying, and Musk’s personal brand increasingly divisive, the road ahead looks uncertain — even with robotaxis and AI promises on the horizon.

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Tesla, Elon Musk, Tesla Sales Q2 2025, Tesla Stock, EV Market, BYD, Robotaxi, Trump Administration, Tesla China, Tesla Europe, Electric Vehicles, Tesla Share Price