BYD Beats Tesla in Europe for First Time with 169% Sales Surge

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Tesla’s Sales Decline: Causes and Controversies

  • Many argue Tesla’s European decline is driven heavily by backlash to the CEO’s politics, especially a widely-discussed Nazi-like salute, which for some Europeans makes the brand morally unacceptable regardless of product quality.
  • Others see multiple factors: aging product lineup, lack of a new mass‑market model in years, only minor refreshes, broken promises (e.g., autonomy timelines), and competitors catching up on batteries and drivetrains.
  • There is disagreement over how much politics versus normal market competition matters; some insist the political factor is orders of magnitude larger, others say competition and mismanagement were already biting hard.

Brand, Strategy, and “Fixes” for Tesla

  • Suggestions for recovery include: CEO stepping back with explicit political distancing, settling union disputes in Europe, refocusing on updated Model 3 and a cheaper Model 2, and repositioning as “just a cool car company” instead of a culture‑war brand.
  • Some propose structurally splitting the “hype” side (robots, FSD, AI) from the conventional car and storage business under a more boring CEO.
  • Skepticism remains about Tesla’s robotaxi and robotics narrative; commenters see it as a dream used to justify an inflated valuation, with jokes about perpetual “next year” autonomy.

BYD and Chinese EV Competition

  • BYD is seen as offering solid “okay cars at an okay price,” well sized and specced for Europe; not necessarily bargain‑basement but strong value in the mid‑range, even with tariffs.
  • Some note BYD and other Chinese or Chinese‑owned brands (including European badges built in China) are increasingly visible on European streets and taxis.
  • One view is that China rapidly making EVs and solar cheap exposes limits of the patent system and Western industrial strategy.
  • There are concerns that allowing Chinese cars into Europe is a security risk, but others counter that US tech now also looks risky; Europe is “between a rock and a hard place.”

EV Use, Range, and Infrastructure

  • Debate over whether EVs are only “grocery getters” or already road‑trip capable:
    • Critics point to range, charging time, and scaling of charging infrastructure.
    • Owners counter with real‑world long‑trip experiences where charging aligns with natural rest stops and is cheaper than gasoline in many regions.