Elon Musk’s recent statement, “As goes Norway, so goes the rest of the world. Combustion engine cars will be like the steam engine – quaint, but primitive,” comes as Norway cements its position as the world leader in electric vehicle (EV) adoption. In June 2025, an unprecedented 96.9% of all new cars sold in Norway were electric, according to the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, marking a dramatic rise from 80% just a year earlier. This milestone underscores the country’s rapid transition away from internal combustion engines — a trend that many industry observers, including Musk, believe will soon reshape global markets.
The scale of Norway’s EV dominance is striking. Out of 18,376 new cars registered in June, 17,799 were electric, with only a small fraction being hybrids or combustion engine vehicles. Pure diesel and petrol models accounted for just 0.8% and 0.3% of the market, respectively — a sharp decline from previous years. Musk’s own Tesla (TSLA) Model Y led the charge, representing over a quarter of all new registrations, with 5,004 units sold in June alone. Other popular models included the Toyota bZ4X and VW ID.4, but none came close to Tesla’s market share.
