Dilara Zengin Okay and Mucahithan Avcioglu
02 April 2025•Update: 02 April 2025
WASHINGTON/ISTANBUL
Tesla's car deliveries fell 13% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025, amid controversies about CEO Elon Musk's political stance, according to data released Wednesday.
The number of vehicles delivered by the US electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer in the first quarter decreased to 336,681 from 386,810 in the first quarter last year.
The market expectation was that the number of vehicles delivered by the company would be between 360,000 and 370,000.
The company produced 362,615 vehicles in the first quarter of this year, also down from 433,371 vehicles in the same period of 2024.
The EV producer's sales in Europe fell 45.2% in January compared to last year.
Tesla's sales also declined in China, which is expected to begin trade wars with the US, and President Donald Trump is preparing to impose new tariffs.
Tesla's shares also fell more than 2% after delivery data failed to meet expectations.
After Trump won the presidential elections in November, Tesla's popularity declined due to the political actions of the owner Elon Musk.
The shares, which lost most of their gains after Trump's election win, have fallen more than 35% since the beginning of the year.
The company faced protests and boycotts due to the political rhetoric and behavior of Musk, who took an active role in the Trump administration.
Musk, who supported Trump during the election campaign, was appointed head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after Trump was re-elected president to a second non-consecutive term.
Steps by DOGE to reduce costs and the dismissal of thousands of federal employees have been the subject of controversy.
