Tesla $TSLA ( ▼ 0.2% ) just pulled off something no automaker has ever done in Norway. The company sold more than 6,000 cars in November, a 175 percent jump from last year, as Norwegian buyers rushed to beat an upcoming rollback of EV subsidies that will effectively raise taxes on electric cars. That surge pushed Tesla’s year-to-date total to 28,606 vehicles, topping the previous annual record set by Volkswagen $VWAGY ( ▼ 0.33% ) in 2016, with a full month still left in the year.
Norway is now one of Tesla’s only bright spots in Europe, where the brand has been struggling. Nearly 98 percent of all new cars sold in Norway last month were fully electric, creating a perfect environment for the company to thrive ahead of policy changes. But elsewhere on the continent, Tesla sales are sliding. Early data shows double-digit declines in France, Sweden, Denmark, and a nearly 9 percent drop in Spain. October figures showed sales cut in half in the UK and Germany.
Europe remains Tesla’s third-largest market after the US and China, but Norway is the only place keeping the company’s regional numbers from looking even worse.