New car registrations in the UK fell 10% in April

World World: New car registrations in the UK fell by more than 10% in April, with Tesla sales down a massive 62%. The drop was due to a drop in consumer confidence and a rise in taxes, industry data showed.

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), 120,331 cars were registered in April, which is usually known as a quiet month. Tesla sales fell to 512 compared to 1,352 in April last year.

Criticism of Elon Musk’s close ties with Donald Trump and his right-wing politics in Europe has also been a reason behind the decline in Tesla’s global sales. Apart from this, US taxes have also become a cause of uncertainty for the car industry, as the US is the second largest importer of cars from the UK.

Sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) rose 8.1% this month, taking their market share to 20.4%, although this is below the government’s target of 28%.