Tesla registrations in Europe show some signs of recovery in January

Feb 2 (Reuters) - Registrations of new Tesla TSLA.O cars in some of its largest European markets showed some signs of recovery in January, one of the lowest-volume months, rising in Spain, Sweden, Denmark and Italy although they fell in France, Norway, Portugal, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Elon Musk's full-electric brand, whose market in the continent shrank 27% last year, registered 70% more cars in Spain, 26% more in Sweden, 3% more in Denmark and 75% more in Italy in January than in the same month of 2025, with 456, 512, 458 and 713 cars sold respectively, official data showed on Monday.

Its registrations, a proxy for sales, fell 88% to 83 vehicles in Norway, one of the most brand-loyal countries in Europe which has been at the forefront of EV adoption, by 42% to 661 in France, by 3.1% to 377 in Portugal, by 31% to 693 in Belgium and by 67% to 307 in the Netherlands.

Tesla last year unveiled cheaper versions of its Model Y and Model 3 in the United States and Europe, partly to address concerns around an ageing lineup and intensifying competition from brands such as China's BYD 002594.SZ.

But despite a pickup in overall battery-electric car sales in Europe, the U.S. brand has struggled to recover market share since its CEO Musk, who led U.S. President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), backed European far-right figures.