Dozen Tesla cars torched outside dealership near France’s Toulouse city

Another four cars were badly damaged amid evidence the blaze was “not at all accidental”, said the prosecutor’s office.

Firefighters had quickly determined that the cause of the blaze was criminal, AFP report said citing Philippe Guyot, mayor of the Toulouse suburb of Plaisance-du-Touch.

The dealership premises had not been targeted, he added.

Few anti-Tesla protests have occurred in Europe since Elon Musk’s rapprochement with US President Donald Trump, his backing of European far-right parties and attacks on diversity.

In January 2025, the sales of Tesla cars halved year-on-year in Germany and France.

Musk’s entry into politics, leading sweeping cuts to the US federal workforce and endorsing far-right political views in Europe, has triggered “Tesla Takedown” demonstrations in the United States and calls for boycotts elsewhere.

Tesla’s Scandinavian sales fell sharply in February from a year ago, eroding its market share as the electric vehicle maker faces a test of brand loyalty amid Musk’s role in Trump’s administration.

Tesla, whose cars topped sales charts in Norway, Sweden and Denmark in 2023 and 2024, has slipped this year behind rivals with newer model lineups such as Volkswagen and Toyota, registration data showed on Monday.

A total of 613 new Teslas were registered in Sweden last month, down 42% year-on-year, while registrations in Norway and Denmark each fell by 48% to 917 and 509 cars respectively, despite rising overall auto demand in the three countries, including for EVs.

In Norway, where almost all new cars are fully electric, Tesla’s share of overall car sales has slipped to 8.8% year-to-date from a market-leading 18.9% for the full-year 2024 and 20% in 2023.