French Companies Are Abandoning Tesla: A Historic Turning Point?

No question of letting Trump and Musk dictate the future of the world. He who laughs last laughs best, and right now, the backlash is gaining momentum, especially in France. The time has come for economic sanctions against the caprices of Tesla’s boss. Businesses and local authorities in the Hexagon are boycotting the electric car brand, causing a dizzying drop in sales. The conclusion is undeniable: Tesla is losing ground.

France vs Elon Musk: the revolt of the tricolor companies

French companies are not calming down. Elon Musk’s overt support for Donald Trump and his shocking statements on X are poorly received. Romain Roy, vice president of Orléans Métropole, hit hard: he cancels the purchase of several Teslas for his company fleet.

Last year, we ordered 15. Then came Musk’s speeches, Nazi gestures, and ecology went out the window.

The boycott has a cost: European alternatives are more expensive. Roy estimates the extra cost to be 150,000 euros for his company. But the choice is made:

I will not give another euro to Elon Musk.

Other bosses are following the movement, like Laurent Jobart, head of a company in Toulouse, who plans to return his Tesla and has already erased all mention of the brand from his social media.

The trend is confirmed with these figures:

• 50% drop in Tesla sales in Europe;
• -26% in France in February 2025;
• the stock has lost 50% of its value in three months;
• in Germany, sales collapsed by 76%;
• in Norway, they dropped by 50%.

Tesla: free fall and global anger

The protest against Musk does not stop at French borders. All over Europe, his sales are plummeting. China, the main rival, is watching the landscape with glee. BYD, the Chinese electric vehicle giant, is picking up the customers disillusioned by Tesla.

In France, the frustration is taking on a more muscular turn. A viral tweet summarizes the situation:

Tesla stocks have been reduced to ashes in Toulouse, France, as the global boycott against Elon Musk intensifies.

Vandalized charging stations, tagged cars, stickers saying “I bought this car before Elon went crazy“: Tesla’s image is in tatters.

Even the owners are keeping a low profile. Between embarrassment and fatigue, they avoid overly heated discussions about their automotive choice. “The movement is widening“, titles a tweet from @EUFreeCitizen, reporting on protests outside Tesla dealerships in England.

In parallel, analysts estimate that the future of Tesla is seriously threatened by the rise of Chinese manufacturers and growing distrust among investors.

Donald Trump: the weight of a toxic support

On the other side of the Atlantic, there is hemorrhaging. Musk, Trump’s economic ally, crystallizes all resentments. “Finance a fascist, buy a Tesla“, proclaims a sign held during a protest in Georgia. There, dealerships are stormed, cars set on fire, and widespread protests are part of the company’s daily life.

Trump, seeing his comrade sinking, tries to patch things up with a lunar communication operation: transforming the White House gardens into a Tesla showroom. But the damage is done.

Another tweet from Jean Quan drives the point home:

Protests took place yesterday at nearly 100 Tesla dealerships across the country. 80 more are planned over the next month.

The fall is brutal! An unprecedented collapse, estimates JPMorgan.

America, the cradle of Tesla, is becoming its worst nightmare. The brand, which wanted to be pioneering and avant-garde, finds itself associated with the far-right and an increasingly uncontrollable boss. Between global rejection, massive boycott, and stock market collapse, Musk is going all in.

Will investors stay by his side or abandon him as some clients have already done?

As the boycott intensifies and Tesla’s fall accelerates, one question remains: will the chainsaw offered by Javier Milei to Elon Musk to clean up the bureaucracy not end up backfiring against him?