Tesla dominated various European markets in 2023 as the company is evidently the main driver behind a continuous increase in electric vehicle market share on the continent.
This morning, Tesla reported its delivery and production figures for 2023, which showed it had successfully achieved its 1.8 million unit goal for the year. It was the automaker’s most successful campaign yet, and driven by heavy market share leads in the United States and Europe, Tesla is in a prime position to once again dominate the landscape in those two areas.
Although it was outpaced in China by BYD, Tesla has nothing to hang its head about. Europe was a classic case of domination by the automaker in 2023, and data from EU-EVs, which tracks registration figures for various countries in the EU, shows it was not very close.
United Kingdom
Tesla owned 15.3 percent of the market share in the United Kingdom, outpacing MG and BMW by more than 6 percent.
The Model Y was the country’s biggest seller, as 34,334 total registrations were tracked by EU-EVs. The MG4 from MG was second, with 20,129. The Model 3 landed in fourth place with 12,774 registrations.
Norway
Norway was a major hotspot for Tesla, as it landed 23.6 percent of the total market share and, once again, the Model Y was the biggest seller. It was not very close.
The Model Y’s 23,058 tracked registrations outpaced the ID.4 from Volkswagen by nearly four times, as the all-electric crossover from the German company had 6,336 registrations.
Tesla dominates in EV-heavy Norway where gas cars are nearly defunct
The Model 3 fell outside the top 10 with only 2,081 registrations for the year, further hammering home the point that CEO Elon Musk made years ago that the Model Y would overtake the Model 3 in sales.
Netherlands
The Model Y led Tesla to more domination in the Netherlands, as 13,714 registrations helped the company land 17 percent of the total EV market share.
Tesla led BMW (8.3%) and Volkswagen (8%), and the Volvo XC40 was the second best-seller with 6,309 units registered.
Spain
Tesla Model Y and Model 3 led sales figures for EVs in Spain and contributed to a 22 percent market share held by the automaker in 2023. The Model Y’s 6,843 units and the Model 3’s 6,123 units largely contributed to Tesla’s 13,260 units delivered in Spain last year.
If you were to combine the sales of the third-place MG4 and fourth-place Dacia Spring, you still would not have enough sales to eclipse either the Model Y or Model 3.
Sweden
With all of the headlines surrounding Tesla and Sweden toward the end of 2023, one might think that the automaker would not have held the market share lead in the country.
However, Tesla managed to outpace Volkswagen by over 2 percent. Tesla held 17.4 percent of the EV market share in 2023, with Volkswagen holding 15.1 percent, giving the German company a strong showing in highly competitive Sweden.
The Model Y held the lead with 16,576 units registered, and the ID.4 followed up with 11,009. Volvo trailed Tesla and VW with 10.7 percent, as the XC40 managed to take third in overall sales.
Denmark
Denmark was Tesla’s strongest performance across the countries tracked by EU-EVs, with a massive 34.5 percent market share holding, outpacing Volkswagen in second place by a substantial margin. VW held 10.5 percent of the market in Denmark, good enough for second place.
The Model Y dominated the market with 17,975 units registered, beating out the second place Model 3, which had 4,216 units sold and registered last year.
Tesla sold 22,366 EVs in Denmark last year. The entire country registered 64,781.
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Tesla has made two big interior changes to several Model Y vehicles in its lineup, and the changes come just as the new model year begins production.
Last year, Tesla launched the Model Y Standard, which separated the previous models into the “Premium” category. The Standard vehicles lack several features, including more premium interior materials, acoustic-lined glass, and storage.
@teslarati There are some BIG differences between the Tesla Model Y Standard and Tesla Model Y Premium #tesla #teslamodely ♬ Sia – Xeptemper
The Model Y “Premium” trims are now getting several new upgrades, which come after the company launched a seven-seat configuration of the vehicle last night in the North American market for an upcharge of $2,500.
The new Model Y seven-seat configuration did not come with just an additional row of seating; it also came with a slew of other goodies that now come standard and were previously only available on the Model Y Performance, which was launched late last year.
All Black Headliner
The new Tesla Model Y Premium trims will now come standard with a black headliner, something that many owners have been requesting for some time.
The previous grey headliner and trim within the vehicle is now gone; it will be all black on all of the Premium trims from here on out, a welcome change:
Credit: Tesla
Larger and Higher Resolution Center Touchscreen
The center touchscreen in the new Model Y Premium configuration is now larger and has a higher resolution than the previous version.
In last year’s Model Y configurations (apart from the Performance), the center touchscreen was 15.4″. Now, Tesla has decided to go with the 16″ version across all Premium trims, which is a nice step up. It was nice to see this in the Performance, but it is really great to see Tesla include this in the Model Y’s more Premium trim levels.
Tesla Model Y Seven Seater
Tesla launched the latest iteration of the seven-seater for the Model Y on Monday night. Traditionally, the Model Y seats five passengers in total, but there were calls for a more spacious version several years ago.
Tesla released it, but it was extremely tight in the back, basically reserving those back seats for only small people or children.
Credit: Tesla
The new configuration looks to be slightly more spacious in the third row, but not as much space as most would require or want. Instead,
Elon Musk
Lufthansa Group to equip Starlink on its 850-aircraft fleet
Under the collaboration, Lufthansa Group will install Starlink technology on both its existing fleet and all newly delivered aircraft, as noted by the group in a press release.
Lufthansa Group has announced a partnership with Starlink that will bring high-speed internet connectivity to every aircraft across all its carriers.
This means that aircraft across the group’s brands, from Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian Airlines to Brussels Airlines, would be able to enjoy high-speed internet access using the industry-leading satellite internet solution.
Starlink in-flight internet
Under the collaboration, Lufthansa Group will install Starlink technology on both its existing fleet and all newly delivered aircraft, as noted by the group in a press release.
Starlink’s low-Earth orbit satellites are expected to provide significantly higher bandwidth and lower latency than traditional in-flight Wi-Fi, which should enable streaming, online work, and other data-intensive applications for passengers during flights.
Starlink-powered internet is expected to be available on the first commercial flights as early as the second half of 2026. The rollout will continue through the decade, with the entire Lufthansa Group fleet scheduled to be fully equipped with Starlink by 2029. Once complete, no other European airline group will operate more Starlink-connected aircraft.
Free high-speed access
As part of the initiative, Lufthansa Group will offer the new high-speed internet free of charge to all status customers and Travel ID users, regardless of cabin class. Chief Commercial Officer Dieter Vranckx shared his expectations for the program.
“In our anniversary year, in which we are celebrating Lufthansa’s 100th birthday, we have decided to introduce a new high-speed internet solution from Starlink for all our airlines. The Lufthansa Group is taking the next step and setting an essential milestone for the premium travel experience of our customers.
“Connectivity on board plays an important role today, and with Starlink, we are not only investing in the best product on the market, but also in the satisfaction of our passengers,” Vranckx said.
Elon Musk
Tesla locks in Elon Musk’s top problem solver as it enters its most ambitious era
The generous equity award was disclosed by the electric vehicle maker in a recent regulatory filing.
Tesla has granted Senior Vice President of Automotive Tom Zhu more than 520,000 stock options, tying a significant portion of his compensation to the company’s long-term performance.
The generous equity award was disclosed by the electric vehicle maker in a recent regulatory filing.
Tesla secures top talent
According to a Form 4 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Tom Zhu received 520,021 stock options with an exercise price of $435.80 per share. Since the award will not fully vest until March 5, 2031, Zhu must remain at Tesla for more than five years to realize the award’s full benefit.
Considering that Tesla shares are currently trading at around the $445 to $450 per share level, Zhu will really only see gains in his equity award if Tesla’s stock price sees a notable rise over the years, as noted in a Sina Finance report.
Still, even at today’s prices, Zhu’s stock award is already worth over $230 million. If Tesla reaches the market cap targets set forth in Elon Musk’s 2025 CEO Performance Award, Zhu would become a billionaire from this equity award alone.
Tesla’s problem solver
Zhu joined Tesla in April 2014 and initially led the company’s Supercharger rollout in China. Later that year, he assumed the leadership of Tesla’s China business, where he played a central role in Tesla’s localization efforts, including expanding retail and service networks, and later, overseeing the development of Gigafactory Shanghai.
Zhu’s efforts helped transform China into one of Tesla’s most important markets and production hubs. In 2023, Tesla promoted Zhu to Senior Vice President of Automotive, placing him among the company’s core global executives and expanding his influence beyond China. He has since garnered a reputation as the company’s problem solver, being tapped by Elon Musk to help ramp Giga Texas’s vehicle production.
With this in mind, Tesla’s recent filing seems to suggest that the company is locking in its top talent as it enters its newest, most ambitious era to date. As could be seen in the targets of Elon Musk’s 2025 pay package, Tesla is now aiming to be the world’s largest company by market cap, and it is aiming to achieve production levels that are unheard of. Zhu’s talents would definitely be of use in this stage of the company’s growth.
Tesla makes two big interior changes to several Model Y vehicles
Lufthansa Group to equip Starlink on its 850-aircraft fleet
