Tesla $TSLA ( ▼ 0.2% ) is back in the European spotlight, and not for its delivery numbers. After the European Union hit Musk’s platform X with a 140 million dollar fine for issues including its blue checkmark design and lack of researcher data access, Musk fired back online, posting that the EU “should be abolished” and that sovereignty should return to individual countries.
The comments arrive at a time when Tesla has less riding on Europe than it used to. Analyst Troy Teslike expects Tesla’s 2025 sales in the region to fall 25 percent from last year, representing only about 15 percent of the company’s global sales mix. Musk has repeatedly called Europe Tesla’s “weakest market,” pointing to regulators who have not approved the company’s Full Self-Driving software.
Sales in Europe lag far behind Tesla’s performance in China and the United States, and growth in other international markets is offsetting the European slowdown. And Musk’s broader narrative continues to shift. He has said Tesla is no longer simply a carmaker, but an AI and robotics company, which makes taking a shot at a shrinking auto market far less risky than it once would have been.