Tesla sold only one car in South Korea in January. This is an anti-record for a year and a half

Tesla sold only one electric car in South Korea in January 2024. This is attributed to a number of factors, from safety concerns to price and lack of charging infrastructure, writes Bloomberg.

The only Tesla car sold was the Model Y compact electric crossover. That said, January was the automaker’s worst month since July 2022, when the company failed to sell a single car in South Korea.

At the same time, Carisyou data shows that the number of new electric vehicles registered in South Korea decreased by 80% in January 2024 compared to December 2023.

Tesla’s low sales in January mean major changes for the brand. The fact is that the Chinese-made Model Y was one of the leaders in last year’s sales in South Korea.

The Jeonbuk Institute of Automotive Technology Convergence believes that many enthusiasts have already purchased electric cars, while mass market consumers have no plans to buy them yet. In addition, Tesla’s popularity is hurt by its ties with China.

“Some people don’t like Tesla recently after finding some of them are made in China,” Jeonbuk explained.

By the way, Tesla has recently faced a number of problems with the safety of its cars. To solve them, the company has prepared a software update, which is formally called a recall. One of these cases concerns a malfunctioning rearview camera.