EVwire brief: Tesla's much-discussed "shame" in Sweden has proved surprisingly short-lived.
Just over a year after Elon Musk's political activities sparked boycotts, protests and heated debate, the U.S. electric vehicle maker's sales rebounded sharply in March. Registrations in Sweden rose 144%, resulting in the Model Y once again becoming the country's best-selling electric car. Similar trends have been observed in several other European markets.
Brand expert Anna Karin Lingham told industry site CarUp that negative media noise and associations can have only a temporary impact.
If the noise subsides and the brand continues to be perceived as relevant and valuable, many people return to what weighs most heavily in their own everyday lives, such as function, status or values.
Mattias Goldmann, CEO of the 2030 Secretariat, noted that Tesla has also become the fastest-selling used electric car in Sweden and is increasingly seen as an ideal choice for first-time EV buyers.
“Now there is also a very favorable trend for Tesla, in that many who are now going to buy an electric car for the first time experience Tesla as a safe and established brand that has been doing electric cars for many years, with a charging infrastructure you can trust,” Goldmann said.
We covered Tesla’s recovery in Sweden and other European countries in this article:
Not everyone is happy about the end of the “Tesla Shame” in Sweden. Activist K-G Wanngård, who has been vocal in the ongoing union blockade of Tesla, argued that volumes for the period of May 2025–April 2026 are still down year-over-year.
He continues to urge greater use of "consumer power" to pressure the company, arguing that purchases indirectly support Musk's political views. “You could do more about the Tesla scandal and show consumer power,” Wanngård said.
IF Metall’s conflict against Tesla has been ongoing for over two years
Tesla has refused to sign Swedish collective bargaining agreements, arguing that its members are already well compensated. Tesla’s labor dispute with IF Metall started way back in October 2023, more than two years ago.
Tesla owner and commentator Anders Nyman (@Knytanders) highlighted a potential contradiction in the activist’s approach after speaking with Wanngård.
“When I spoke with K-G the other day, he assured me that he himself would drop his actions against Tesla - portraying Elon as a fascist and Tesla buyers as accomplices - as soon as Tesla signed a collective agreement.
“But at the same time, it means that if K-G succeeds with his goal, the Tesla brand will be permanently damaged in Sweden and all employees with their nice new collective agreement would have less to do and risk being laid off.
“Either you focus on why Tesla should have a collective agreement in Sweden - which has nothing to do with Musk's private political opinions - or you focus on killing Tesla as revenge for Musk having the wrong (dangerous) opinions. You can't do both at the same time.”
Source: CarUp, Anders Nyman on X
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