'Musk Effect?'... Tesla Falls Behind BYD in UK January Sales

It has been revealed that Tesla was overtaken by China's BYD in the UK electric vehicle market last month.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla. Yonhap News

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) in the UK on the 10th (local time), BYD's sales in the UK market last month were 1,614 units, while Tesla's were 1,458 units. Compared to January of last year, BYD's sales increased sixfold, whereas Tesla's sales slightly decreased by 8%. According to local media, this is the first time BYD has surpassed Tesla based on monthly sales volume.

The overall UK electric vehicle market stood at 29,634 units as of January this year, marking a 42% growth compared to the same period last year.

The reason for Tesla's poor performance in the UK market last month is attributed to political factors. Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, stirred controversy by demanding the resignation of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer last month and publicly supporting the right-wing UK Reform Party, thus intervening in UK politics.

In a similar case, Tesla's sales in Germany also plummeted by 59% year-on-year last month, following controversy over Musk's active support for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.