Tesla Sales Down 55% UK, 58% Spain, 59% Germany, 81% Netherlands, 93% Norway

Chinese and European Competition

• BYD seen as a “formidable” value competitor, scaling EVs fast and outselling Tesla in some markets, but several commenters note its European presence is still modest vs VW Group and Stellantis, especially for pure BEVs.
• Others report “seeing lots of BYDs” and emphasize rapid Chinese EV expansion globally (backed partly by state support, aggressive pricing, dedicated shipping fleets, foreign factories).
• There’s debate over whether media overplay BYD-vs-Tesla while underplaying incumbents, and how much EU tariffs and protection for local automakers suppress Chinese brands’ share.

Musk, Politics, and Brand Damage

• Many tie Tesla’s European decline to the CEO’s far-right turn, Nazi-style gestures, and association with Trump, making the brand toxic in much of Europe.
• A minority argues his views are genuine rather than strategic, or that political hostility to him is overblown “derangement.”
• Some suggest he pivoted right because he foresaw EV headwinds and wanted alignment with rising right‑populism; others dismiss this as needless 4D‑chess theorizing.

Product Line, Quality, and Strategy

• Frequent criticism that Tesla hasn’t refreshed designs in years, dropped features (e.g., third row in Model Y), and made odd UX choices (no stalks, limited colors, no CarPlay).
• Cybertruck is seen as overpriced and ill-timed vs cheap ICE trucks; cancellation of the “$25k car” is viewed as a strategic blunder that opened space for BYD and others.
• Several note weak build quality, high failure rates in European inspections, and expensive repairs; a minority report extremely reliable personal cars.

Autonomy, Robotaxis, and Optimus Robots

• Owners’ experiences with FSD range from “hundreds of miles without intervention” to “terrifying,” with repeated emphasis that legally it still requires full driver supervision.
• Many see the robotaxi push and Fremont’s pivot from S/X to “1M Optimus robots/year” as a face‑saving move after stalled EV growth and FSD delays, repeating the pattern of ever‑slipping promises.
• Humanoid-robot competition from China and Boston Dynamics is cited as more technically impressive; robotics practitioners in the thread report little serious interest in buying Optimus.

Stock Price and “Meme Stock” Debate

• Widespread view that Tesla’s valuation is decoupled from fundamentals and driven by a cult-like belief in Musk plus hype about FSD/robots/energy.
• Some mention structural factors (index funds, big institutions riding the “cult,” possible market microstructure effects), but still see current P/E as unjustifiable.
• Former bullish investors describe exiting once it became clear that margins, volume growth, and key product programs (cheap car, profitable truck, FSD monetization) had all disappointed.

Labor, Regulation, and Market Perception

• In Europe, anti‑union moves get some blame, but commenters think the Nazi‑salute moment did more reputational damage.
• Subsidies are framed as symmetric: both Tesla and Chinese EV makers benefited heavily from state support; singling out China for “unfair” subsidies is contested.

Thread Meta and Data Skepticism

• A few complain the discussion is dominated by anti‑Musk sentiment rather than neutral market analysis.
• Some question the article’s selective use of national declines and year‑windows, calling it “cherrypicked,” but no alternative comprehensive dataset is provided in the thread.