Tesla goes to Saudi Arabia
Tesla will take its electric cars to Saudi Arabia, a country rich in oil, in a context of falling worldwide sales
by Anna CoobanCNN
Tesla will start selling its electric vehicles in Saudi Arabia, entering the largest economy in the Gulf region, at a time when the company’s global sales are falling and CEO Elon Musk provokes controversy with their role in the US government.
The car manufacturer announced Wednesday that he will organize a launch event in Saudi Arabia on April 10, where he will show his cars. Participants will have the opportunity to “experiment with the future of autonomous driving with Cybercab and meet Optimus, our humanoid robot, while showing what is coming in AI and Robotics,” says Tesla.
Tesla may have difficulty gaining a market share in Saudi Arabia, rich in oil, as electric cars represent just over 1% of all car sales in the country, according to a PWC consultant report published in September.
Tesla’s entry into the new market occurs at a time when the company wages battles on several fronts.
Last year, he registered the first annual decline in sales in his history as a public company, with a drop of 1%.
The company is facing increasingly intense competition in China, the largest car market in the world. On Tuesday, BYD, a Chinese manufacturer of electric and hybrid cars, announced 99.14 billion euros in annual sales to 2024, exceeding 90.80 billion euros recorded by Tesla.
And last week, BYD revealed a ultra -rare loading system that says it is able to add 402 km in only five minutes, easily surpassing Tesla loading technology. Tesla superchargers take 15 minutes to load, providing a range of 322 km.
Tesla has also suffered a drop in sales in Europe. In February, the car manufacturer sold about 40% fewer vehicles compared to the same month of 2024, according to the European Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
In the United States, Tesla’s homeland, Musk’s controversial role in government – which involved cutting thousands of jobs in the public sector as head of the department of government efficiency – also dismissed many potential Tesla buyers. The prices of the used Teslas are picking, even with the increase in interest in used electric vehicles.
Billionaire’s actions in the government triggered a wave of vandalism against showrooms, loading stations, and Tesla vehicles in the US, so that the FBI announced on Monday that it had created a working group to “suppress violent attacks on Tesla.”
Pacific protests were also registered with many Tesla facilities, with protesters holding posters and shouting “Elon Musk has to leave”, in reference to his position in the government.
These headaches convinced many investors to abandon Tesla’s actions: they fell 40% since they reached a historic maximum in December.
