This might be the end of a love affair that became unrequited. Elon Musk has been steadfast in bashing California and has pledged to move Tesla, SpaceX, and X to Texas. Californians, in turn, are turning their backs on Musk.
Tesla sales in California dropped 24.1 % in the second quarter, the brand’s third straight quarterly decline in the state. Purchases dipped 7.8% in the first quarter of 2024 and 9.8% in the final quarter of last year. Year-to-date, Tesla sales in California are down 17% compared to last year, according to the latest analysis of new vehicle registrations published by the California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA). Instead of a Tesla from Musk’s $793 billion electric vehicle empire, California car buyers are purchasing battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) from Toyota, Hyundai, and Ford. The analysis found Toyota BEV registrations have soared 108.1% so far this year, while Hyundai and Ford BEV registrations rose 65.7% and 26.4%, respectively.
