January 2, 2026
From vroom to gloom
Tesla sales fell by 9 percent in 2025, its second yearly decline
Buyers bail as politics, door drama, and a flopped truck singe Tesla
TLDR: Tesla’s sales fell about 9% in 2025, marking a second straight yearly drop as product stumbles, safety scandals, and Elon Musk’s politics dominate the narrative. Commenters pile on with “Go Fash, Lose Cash” jokes, while a minority defends his employee policies—raising big questions about the brand’s future appeal.
The numbers are ugly: Tesla sales fell about 9 percent in 2025—its second straight yearly slide—and the comments section is celebrating, grieving, and memeing in equal measure. The loudest chorus says the brand’s cool factor died the moment Elon Musk went hard-right politically, with one top quip boiling it down to “Go Fash, Lose Cash.” Others point to the cars themselves: aging Model 3/Y designs, the much-hyped Cybertruck flopping, and a battery plan so shaky a supplier wrote down a $2.9 billion deal to $7,386. Safety scandals add fuel, from Bloomberg’s report tying door failures to deadly fires (15 deaths) and an NHTSA probe to China banning Tesla-style retractable handles in 2027 (details).
Fans-turned-critics call the company “radioactive,” accusing Musk of chasing robotaxi fantasies—remember those test cars that kept crashing and the driver who fell asleep—while neglecting basic fixes. But not everyone is piling on: a minority credits Musk for backing Indian employees and visa holders, sparking a side-thread about how immigrant communities aren’t monolithic. The vibe? Half gleeful “I told you so,” half shocked disbelief that the alleged EV king now looks like a meme—and not the good kind.
Key Points
- •Tesla delivered 1,636,129 vehicles in 2025, down 8.6% year over year; Q4 sales fell nearly 16% versus Q4 2024 (77,343 fewer vehicles).
- •The company’s reliance on the Model 3 and Model Y, with only minor updates, is cited as contributing to weaker demand versus newer competitors.
- •Cybertruck delays and underperformance have impacted Tesla’s in-house battery cell initiative; supplier L&F wrote down a $2.9B contract to $7,386, per Electrek.
- •Safety concerns escalated: Bloomberg reported at least 15 deaths linked to inoperable doors post-crash; NHTSA opened an investigation in 2025; China will ban Tesla-style retractable handles from January 1, 2027.
- •Tesla faced a $329 million wrongful death judgment in August 2025; autonomous service pilots drew criticism after incidents in Austin and a human-driven service in San Francisco.