April 1 (Reuters) - Tesla's sales in France fell year-on-year for a third consecutive month in March, contributing to the lowest first-quarterly sales figures in the country since 2021 for Elon Musk's electric car brand, data showed on Tuesday.
The billionaire CEO, a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, has stirred controversy by courting far-right parties in Europe, which has added to Tesla's sales slump ahead of the much-anticipated launch of its new Model Y mid-size SUV.
Tesla registered in March 3,157 car sales in France, a 36.83% drop from last year, for a total of 6,693 car registrations in the first quarter, data from French car body PFA showed.
Its market share in the country dropped to 1.63% in the quarter ending March, and lost ground to brands not accounted for by the PFA, including BYD and other Chinese EV makers, whose total share of the market rose to 3.19%.
Overall new car registrations in France fell 14.54% in March and were down 7.83% in the first quarter.
Tesla is set to report its global first-quarter deliveries and production numbers on Wednesday.
Analysts expect data from France and other key European markets on Tuesday to provide an important indication of the group's performance in the quarter and consumer sentiment towards the brand.
In response to Musk's right-wing activism, Tesla cars have also become targets for vandalism across several countries. On Monday, Musk said that an overnight fire at a Tesla dealership in Rome that destroyed 17 cars was an act of terrorism, reiterating earlier comments by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Reporting by Alessandro Parodi and Jean Terzian; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Louise Heavens
Source: Reuters