Tesla electric car sales plunge again in Australia – Model 3 down more than 81 p

106 points by taimurkazmi 4 months ago | 102 comments
  • thinkingtoilet 4 months ago
    I'm asking this because I genuinely don't know, but at what point do Tesla shareholders sue the company? Musk's actions, like them or not, are actively hurting the company. There are many people who will never buy a Tesla who otherwise would due to Musk.
    • dragontamer 4 months ago
      Maybe don't buy companies where the largest shareholder (Musk) has a loyal board of directors who consistently elect Musk to be CEO.

      Sell your shares. Buy a better company, one with less corruption.

      • ZeroGravitas 4 months ago
        The G in ESG stands for governance.

        A couple of years ago it was a meme to ask why Tesla got poor ESG scores compared with random fossil fuel producers.

        Part of the answer was the Governance of Tesla being really bad.

        Another part was Musk just refusing to file the paperwork to get a decent score. Which he wouldn't get away with if the governance was better.

      • JumpCrisscross 4 months ago
        > at what point do Tesla shareholders sue the company?

        I’m struggling to picture a court of law that could hold Musk accountable right now.

        • drannex 4 months ago
          European courts could, Latin American as well, possibly Asian for the international markets, which would then be pressure on the American HQ and courts as the international market is, last I checked >50% of their sales. Likely less so now, since they are dropping so heavily in every market (including China, as of this morning, plunging by 49%^1 - China _made_ up ~25% of their sales).

          ^1 https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tesla-stock-...

          • JumpCrisscross 4 months ago
            > European courts could, Latin American as well, possibly Asian for the international markets

            Musk is a de facto head of state (alongside Trump). All but the most independent courts would be under massive political pressure to yield to him. (At least so long as he’s in Trump’s good graces.)

          • freejazz 4 months ago
            Literally any of them? I don't even get this comment at all.
          • jaredklewis 4 months ago
            Yes, in theory basically anything could be securities fraud, and lots of lawsuits like that get filed. Very few succeed.

            If shareholders are serious about dumping Musk they can put in board members to sack him and get a new CEO. If they just want a lot of performative legal actions, yea sure file a lawsuit.

            • ivewonyoung 4 months ago
              What would be the point of suing rather than trying to vote him out and/or selling the stock since it appears majority stockholders want him on board?
              • gruez 4 months ago
                >but at what point do Tesla shareholders sue the company? Musk's actions, like them or not, are actively hurting the company.

                Claiming that an executive breached his fiduciary duty requires clearing a pretty high bar, far higher than "his actions hurt the company". Practically speaking the best recourse tesla shareholders have is to either sell their shares, or launch a proxy fight.

                • Eddy_Viscosity2 4 months ago
                  He relocated to Texas specifically because it was a friendlier judicial environment for him. Even in the incredibly unlikely event this approach worked and the court ruled against him, he'd just relocate to a state that offered him a better deal. There is no accountability in our present system for someone like Elon Musk. Too rich, too connected, too powerful to touch.
                • hn1986 4 months ago
                  Betting market for Musk staying CEO. https://kalshi.com/markets/kxteslaceochange/new-tesla-ceo

                  gives you an idea - 27% chance being removed before 2027

                  • filoleg 4 months ago
                    > At what point?

                    Definitely not at the point when they have a car model that is leading in top 5 most purchased new vehicles (not just EVs, we are talking overall) in multiple large markets like EU or US. Which was the case for 2024.

                    • cameldrv 4 months ago
                      Musk's politics certainly play a part in this, but the bigger story is that Chinese EVs are starting to dominate the Australian market. They're far cheaper at a comparable quality level.
                      • Reubachi 4 months ago
                        a few thoughts, 1) This is not how investing or investor-board-company process works in modern trading/investing. this is capitalism, not ethical discourse. Past performance is not a guarantor on investment, and you are free to rescind that investment.

                        2) if one desired to keep their investments in the company they disagree with performance/ethics wise, there is a board that dictates investor funds, trends. They are elected.

                        In the event of some perceived strife, or new initiative, a board is petitioned by shareholder groups to a point that if there is enough sway, can force a decision on the company.

                        I do not agree this is ideal^ as dark forces in the market have far more of an effect on it than the actual investments.

                      • bovermyer 4 months ago
                        The article touches on it a little, but I'd like to know answers to the following questions:

                        - Are car sales in general down?

                        - Are other EV makers seeing a corresponding uptick in sales?

                        - Are ICE vehicles seeing an uptick in sales?

                        Just knowing that Tesla sales for a specific model have tanked doesn't tell me enough. The article mentions that Polestar and BYD are seeing an increase in sales over the last year, but doesn't say whether the last couple months have seen a higher increase than previously.

                        • bdcravens 4 months ago
                          According to this article, year-over-year, EV sales are up 18% (globally)

                          https://rhomotion.com/news/global-ev-sales-grow-by-18-in-202...

                          • cogman10 4 months ago
                            > Are car sales in general down?

                            Apparently not [1]

                            > Are other EV makers seeing a corresponding uptick in sales?

                            Doesn't really look like it [2], but I've not plotted a line chart to see if it's just well distributed. There doesn't appear to be any 1 automaker that is breaking out with Tesla's drop.

                            > Are ICE vehicles seeing an uptick in sales?

                            Given the first two, I'd say probably. With sales pretty much the same and no EV brand that appears to have went up my guess is that ICE is where the slack is going.

                            [1] https://www.marklines.com/en/statistics/flash_sales/automoti...

                            [2] https://thedriven.io/2025/03/04/australian-electric-vehicle-...

                            • Symbiote 4 months ago
                              In Europe it varies by country, but in general Tesla is down while EV sales are up or steady.

                              > Figures published towards the end of February by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) showed that Tesla sold just 9,945 units in January, a 45 per cent fall from 18,161 in the same month a year earlier – and despite a 37 per cent growth in overall EV sales.

                              https://thedriven.io/2025/03/04/tesla-sales-continue-to-plum...

                              • gruez 4 months ago
                                >> Are car sales in general down?

                                >Apparently not [1]

                                >[1] https://www.marklines.com/en/statistics/flash_sales/automoti...

                                Your source says the opposite?

                                >Passenger car sales of 12,783 units in January represented a 22.2% decrease from the same period in 2024, SUV sales of 52,748 units represented a 5.9% increase

                                • cogman10 4 months ago
                                  There's a dip for sure, but not quite the drastic dip of tesla sales. Also note that the number of passenger cars sold is much lower than the number of SUV. A fairly good indication that people are buying SUVs rather than passenger cars.

                                  If you look at the bar graph, the total drop is 89k to 86k. Which represents about a 1% decrease in total sales.

                              • r00fus 4 months ago
                                EV sales are up, and this is a market with full Chinese import activity and minimal tariffs - so I'm guessing the big winners are Chinese EVs (narrator: that's correct)

                                https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/03/04/1842209/australia-w...

                                • stubish 4 months ago
                                  Tesla sell cars in the luxury car bracket in Australia. BYD and MG in the last few years started selling cheaper cars, and now dominate the market. In the last few months several manufacturers have dropped prices and released cheaper models. And more people are competing at Tesla's price point, like Polestar mentioned. So apart from the very real Musk hate from purchasers and their neighbors and family and friends and random vandals, there is now the option to buy more affordable vehicles or choice when buying a luxury car.
                                  • herdcall 4 months ago
                                    Yes. Global EV sales were 1.9 million in Dec 2024, 1.3 million in Jan 2025, and 1.4 million in Feb 2025. This is apparently typical after the holiday spending each year.
                                    • bdcravens 4 months ago
                                      The article however is discussing year-over-year.

                                      > The plunge in Tesla electric vehicle sales has continued into February, according to the latest official data, with combined sales of the Model Y and Model 3 EVs plunging 71.9 per cent in the month of February, compared to the same month a year earlier.

                                      Meanwhile EV sales appear to be UP globally year-over-year (in this case, January 2024 to January 2025)

                                      https://rhomotion.com/news/global-ev-sales-grow-by-18-in-202...

                                  • Fischgericht 4 months ago
                                    I am soooo looking forward to the registration numbers for Tesla in February, which should be coming in the next days.

                                    Right now the high score appears to be:

                                    - Australien: -72% - China: -50% - Denmark: -48% - France: -45% - Norway: -44% [1]

                                    I really really hope my home country Germany can make it to #1.

                                    [1] Press releases have reported a 70% drop, but the numbers do not back this up. Maybe it's 70% drop in market share.

                                    • Fischgericht 4 months ago
                                      YEAH! GOAAAALL FOR GERMANY! Compared to February 2014, new Tesla registrations have fallen by a whopping 76%. Only 1,400 Teslas were registered in total.

                                      To put that into perspective: 1,400 units is the production capacity of their Factory in Germany PER DAY.

                                    • iainctduncan 4 months ago
                                      Wouldn't be surprised if Canada takes it going forward though.... :-)
                                      • Fischgericht 4 months ago
                                        For February probably not, they might have cared less about the "Heil Musk" stuff than we in Europe did. I guess for March Canada however might make it to the top 5...
                                      • tim333 4 months ago
                                        It may partly be people waiting for the new Model Y. If that doesn't sell well then Tesla has problems.
                                        • Fischgericht 4 months ago
                                          At least when it comes to Germany, I can clearly say: No, it's not. An employee of the Tesla dealer for the Frankfurt region told me that he's got "less than 10" people on his list to call once he has the new Model Y in the show room.
                                        • croes 4 months ago
                                          It’s a two-edged sword for Germany given its Tesla factory.
                                          • Fischgericht 4 months ago
                                            Not really.

                                            In the last couple of years the German automakers completely missed the trend towards EVs had only had a laughable product palette. This also causes them to close a lot of factories in Europe, and that is still happening right now.

                                            But you have to keep in mind that the market for EVs is growing. So, once Tesla closes their factory, Volkswagen & Co will be more than happy to hire those workers.

                                            And of course, with arson attacks on Tesla stuff becoming common over here, the factory might go up in flames soon, anyway.

                                            • ben_w 4 months ago
                                              > And of course, with arson attacks on Tesla stuff becoming common over here, the factory might go up in flames soon, anyway.

                                              I kinda hope not, the Tesla Brandenburg site is surrounded by a lot of woodland, and I'm not that far from it.

                                              • croes 4 months ago
                                                >Volkswagen & Co will be more than happy to hire those workers.

                                                The question is if those factories would be in Germany.

                                                • Gud 4 months ago
                                                  Indeed. This is how Tesla got their hands on the Gigafactory in the US
                                            • stubish 4 months ago
                                              I'm sure a big chunk is people not wanting to associate with Musk (not many fans over here) or attract vandals. But it is worth noticing that a number of competing cars have recently dropped prices, trying to compete with BYD and MG who are completely dominating the AUS EV market. Tesla is in luxury car territory, along with the majority of EVs.
                                              • 4 months ago
                                              • acc_297 4 months ago
                                                Reminds me of the situation in Canada[1], which was due mostly to a government subsidy being phased out but certainly also in part "personality driven". In general it seems like local subsidies are a huge driver of the global EV market share [2] - one hopes that the EV market will be able to stand on it's own one day and on it's own merits the technology will reach price parity with fossil fuels.

                                                [1] https://www.thestar.com/business/tesla-sales-are-down-but-it... [2] https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2024/trends-in...

                                                • acc_297 4 months ago
                                                  Oh, and specific to Tesla from a WP article last week:

                                                  “ About a third of Tesla’s $35 billion in profits since 2014 has come from selling federal and state regulatory credits to other automakers. The credits are given to automakers that meet certain standards, including selling a certain percentage of zero-emission vehicles. Tesla is the largest seller of these credits to automakers that don’t meet the standards and want to avoid paying a fine.”

                                                • JumpCrisscross 4 months ago
                                                  Europe, Canada, Mexico and everyone else getting the Trump & Musk heel turn should seriously consider special tariffs on all Teslas and super-premium registration charges on their luxury models. In the same way that TikTok is a security threat to America, Teslas and Starlink are threats to the free world.

                                                  (I’d also throw in a ban on domestic content owners providing training material to xAI, but I’ll admit I have a vindictive streak.)

                                                  • kjkjadksj 4 months ago
                                                    Elon doesn’t care about Tesla anymore. He has moved on to other playthings unfortunately for us all.
                                                    • gman83 4 months ago
                                                      He still hasn't got his $56 billion pay package, right? I imagine he'll at least want to prop the stock up until he gets that.
                                                      • kjkjadksj 4 months ago
                                                        I thought his net worth was 5x that these days? Either way he has pumped tesla easily before. “Funding secured.”
                                                      • timbit42 4 months ago
                                                        About half his net worth is Tesla, but it fluctuates.
                                                      • goshx 4 months ago
                                                        I agree. Nothing prevents the mad man from using Tesla cars and Starlink for surveillance.
                                                        • gruez 4 months ago
                                                          Teslas already have an always-on cell modem. Unless you live in the boonies, adding starlink isn't going to make you more trackable than you are already.
                                                          • goshx 4 months ago
                                                            I didn’t mean using both together. Teslas could be used for surveillance with their cameras and microphones.

                                                            Starlink is providing internet, so any of their users’ traffic could be monitored or access cut/manipulated.

                                                            • rvnx 4 months ago
                                                              Microphones and cameras could be used to "protect national US interests" ?
                                                            • JumpCrisscross 4 months ago
                                                              > nothing prevents the mad man from using Tesla cars and Starlink for surveillance

                                                              Forget surveillance: refusal to support. (Bricking has no plausible deniability.) If you don’t do X, Y and Z I will be forced to geoblock your country; if that causes cars to stop driving so be it.

                                                              • rvnx 4 months ago
                                                                Possibly: "Your car is unavailable for regulatory reasons", blaming the shift on the European Union.
                                                            • kjrfghslkdjfl 4 months ago
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                                                              • theultdev 4 months ago
                                                                Starlink is helping Ukraine, connects many remote populations, and provides emergency connectivity during natural disasters.

                                                                Tesla brought EVs to the mainstream.

                                                                How exactly are they a threat to the free world?

                                                                • rvnx 4 months ago
                                                                  • goshx 4 months ago
                                                                    He’s done before, so we can definitely expect something like this.
                                                                    • theultdev 4 months ago
                                                                      keyword: could

                                                                      but in this reality now they are helping and have been for awhile.

                                                                      articles like those you have linked have always been appearing, but it only highlights how useful starlink has been.

                                                                      what other company has helped provide internet to ukraine?

                                                                    • closewith 4 months ago
                                                                      Any and all dependence on the US is now a liability to the remaining democracies.
                                                                      • henry2023 4 months ago
                                                                        > Starlink is helping Ukraine.

                                                                        The company owned by the dude who wants immediate Ukraine surrender and threatens Ukraine armed forces with disconnecting them?

                                                                        Oh so helpful.

                                                                        • immibis 4 months ago
                                                                          You might remember the reason a bunch of this started is that Starlink would not help Ukraine unless Ukraine agreed not to hurt Russia too much.
                                                                          • henriquenunez 4 months ago
                                                                            > How exactly are they a threat to the free world?

                                                                            First by playing 'free market' and getting bilions in incentives from taxpayer money. And then they will be a threat by the time Tesla will lock you into a subscription model and starlink sell your data to the government the first time it will feel threatened.

                                                                            Socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor.

                                                                            • code_runner 4 months ago
                                                                              i say this as a tesla owner, knowing that getting rid of my tesla doesn't necessarily help anything..... and having bought my car despite Elon (certainly not because of him) a handful of years back.

                                                                              Tesla's value gives Elon his money which also gives him his power. For obvious reasons Elon is VERY associated with Tesla. People are viewing purchasing a Tesla as giving Elon money, which isn't totally wrong but isn't as direct as people as saying either.

                                                                              In the case of Tesla the threat is Elon himself and how he chooses to use his power. The cars (in my opinion) are not a threat IRT surveillance etc. I think its easy enough to cover the cameras etc. Of course I can be wrong, as I often am.

                                                                              In the case of Starlink.... being able to use communication and internet access during an emergency to make money, or use it for influence is pretty powerful. particularly as the US govt (which Elon is a part of) pivots towards an alliance with Russia, starlink is a massive liability that Ukraine cannot count on AT ALL. Nothing is stopping Elon from pulling access to starlink at the behest of Putin. America is already pausing anti-russian activity IRT cyber attacks etc under the guise of "good faith during active negotiations". Why wouldn't starlink be next? Why can't starlink be used to suppress access to things. Remember the stories about ISPs injecting ads into content that they didn't own? Why can't starlink just start serving propaganda and misinformation instead of actual content?

                                                                              These are a threat because they are not being used for the good of humanity and civilization. Elon has deluded himself into thinking that he knows what is best for the world and is using his power/money/influence/technology to assert those ideas and opinions onto the world.

                                                                              Until we have literally any evidence to the contrary, Elon, Trump, and Putin can all be named interchangeably

                                                                              • JohnFen 4 months ago
                                                                                > knowing that getting rid of my tesla doesn't necessarily help anything

                                                                                Getting rid of your Tesla would, at least, eliminate a very sensitive flow of personal data about you to Tesla.

                                                                              • rurp 4 months ago
                                                                                Starlink isn't helping helping Ukraine out of the goodness of Elon's heart; he's being paid millions of dollars to provide a service. It's just another business deal for him that he can spin into good publicity as well. His public comments have made it very clear that he doesn't care about the Ukrainian people. Given that he's co-leading an administration that is completely aligning itself with Putin I don't expect that to continue for much longer. As soon as the payments stop, and possibly even sooner, that service will be gone.
                                                                                • ohdaaaaam 4 months ago
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                                                                                  • nsxwolf 4 months ago
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                                                                                    • cgh 4 months ago
                                                                                      You are normally a quality poster. This kind of thing is beneath you.
                                                                                • light_triad 4 months ago
                                                                                  > Local brands, including Xiaomi, are gearing up to launch direct competitors, with the upcoming YU7

                                                                                  More details: Why a Chinese Gadget Company Can Make an Electric Car and Apple Can’t https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/28/business/china-xiaomi-app...

                                                                                  • rvnx 4 months ago
                                                                                    The idea of an Apple car is awesome though
                                                                                  • thelastgallon 4 months ago
                                                                                    Also, Tesla's China Nightmare: Sales Crash 49% as BYD Tightens Its Grip--Is This the Beginning of the End? https://finance.yahoo.com/news/teslas-china-nightmare-sales-...

                                                                                    China is the world's largest car market.

                                                                                    • bryanlarsen 4 months ago
                                                                                      The Tesla factory in China was closed for a good chunk of January and February to retool for the new Model Y. So a February dip was expected. We'll have to wait a few more months for accurate numbers out of China.

                                                                                      Which will result in similar headlines, I'm sure. Chinese EV's are super competitive, and Trump starting a trade war with China is not going to work out well for Tesla.

                                                                                    • apples_oranges 4 months ago
                                                                                      My feeling is that this will extend not just to Tesla but anything made in the US as long as it can be replaced elsewhere.
                                                                                      • apwell23 4 months ago
                                                                                        nope. ppl only care about price. remember all the DEI stuff after flyod. its all died down.
                                                                                      • tim333 4 months ago
                                                                                        Some torched in France too now https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14459107/Tesla-show...

                                                                                        I'm not sure the new image is going well.

                                                                                        Musk himself seems cheerful says the salute thing was nothing on Joe Rogan a couple of days ago https://youtu.be/sSOxPJD-VNo?t=664

                                                                                        • x187463 4 months ago
                                                                                          Are there any other carmakers with anything close to SFSD? People love to hate and act as though SFSD doesn't work, but SFSD v13 has driven ~95% of the miles on my model 3. From the driveway to the office and back, SFSD drives the car with minimal input. I would love to switch to a different manufacturer without giving up the huge convenience.

                                                                                          Either way, I certainly won't buy another Tesla while Elon is running the place.

                                                                                          • boshalfoshal 4 months ago
                                                                                            No, I think v13 on HW4 is best in class, apart from the obvious (non-consumer operations) like Waymo.

                                                                                            But I think automomy is not enough to draw people to a new vehicle. Tesla has a branding/advertising issue with v13 because people conflate it with Autosteer (which isn't FSD), or they had a bad experience with v11/v12 and write it off completely, or they have a HW3 (majority of people) - which FSD isn't as great on.

                                                                                            • x187463 4 months ago
                                                                                              It certainly seems as though many people's opinion of FSD is very much out of date. I recall riding in a friend's M3 in 2020 when he attempted to demonstrate FSD (or whatever it was called at the time). We didn't make it more than a minute or so before he had to deactivate it. When I picked up my M3 years later, I assumed FSD would still be mostly vaporware.

                                                                                              I honestly can't believe how good is has gotten. It's not perfect and I maintain full awareness of what it's doing, but it performs incredibly well 95% of the time. It's really nice to feel like you're being driven by a mostly competent driver everywhere you go. Really, it makes about the same number (or less) of mistakes as other people I've driven with, but the mistakes are of a different sort, and after a while you develop an intuition of the situations that are going to challenge it.

                                                                                              • senordevnyc 4 months ago
                                                                                                It's not perfect and I maintain full awareness of what it's doing, but it performs incredibly well 95% of the time.

                                                                                                This right here is why it's wildly dangerous and irresponsible. The vast majority of drivers are nowhere near this conscientious, and 95% is a horrible level of reliability for a two ton machine that is out on the road driving around other people.

                                                                                                I'm embarrassed for the engineers who contribute to this unethical shitshow. And I'm disgusted at the regulators for allowing this.

                                                                                              • slaw 4 months ago
                                                                                                According to Out of Spec, Huawei system in Avatr 11 is better than Tesla.

                                                                                                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuDSz06BT2g

                                                                                              • insane_dreamer 4 months ago
                                                                                                I've tried SFSD on our Model 3 a few times. Neither my wife nor I liked it and we turned it off after a few days. We don't do much highway driving though.

                                                                                                (it may not have been v13; we tried it first about a year ago, then again 2-3 months ago)

                                                                                                • hn1986 4 months ago
                                                                                                  I wouldn't trust FSD for anyone who isn't a techie. Certainly not for my mom, ever.
                                                                                                  • slaw 4 months ago
                                                                                                    BYD, Geely, Xpeng.
                                                                                                    • drcongo 4 months ago
                                                                                                      Shit Full Self Driving?
                                                                                                    • amriksohata 4 months ago
                                                                                                      tesla had an early run, there is a lot more competition, their share price is holding well at the same levels its been for the last 3-4 years, bar some peaks and troughs, for good reason
                                                                                                      • oldpersonintx 4 months ago
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