The US electric car pioneer Tesla recorded a significant decline in vehicle deliveries in the second quarter of 2025. Despite increased production, deliveries remained below expectations, which led to mixed reactions on the stock markets.
Tesla delivered around 384,000 vehicles worldwide between April and June - a decline of around 13.5 percent compared to the same quarter last year and slightly below analysts' consensus estimates, which were close to 390,000. However, production amounted to over 410,000 units, indicating continued production capacity despite weaker demand.
Market changes were particularly evident in Europe and China: In Europe, demand fell by around 45% in some cases, partly triggered by tougher competition from cheaper models from Asian manufacturers such as BYD and Xiaomi. In China, sales of the Model 3 and Y manufactured there recovered slightly in June for the first time in months, but the level remained below that of the previous year in a quarterly comparison.
Another factor is the political stance of Tesla CEO Elon Musk: his open statements of support for right-wing parties have caused setbacks in parts of Europe and the USA and in some cases led to calls for boycotts. Nevertheless, the stock markets reacted calmly: Tesla shares rose by around 5 percent in pre-market trading after the figures turned out to be less dire than feared.
Tesla is sticking to its long-term growth plans: The company is pushing ahead with the development of self-driving vehicles, including robotaxi projects in Austin, and plans to introduce a low-cost model Cab by 2026. Tesla plans to publish the full financial data on July 23, accompanied by a live webcast.
