EV competition, especially from Europe, is raising questions about Tesla's ability to revive the core auto business as Elon Musk steers the company toward robotaxis and humanoid robots.

Tesla lost its crown as the world’s bestselling electric vehicle maker on Friday as a customer revolt over Elon Musk’s right-wing politics, expiring U.S. tax breaks for buyers, and stiff overseas competition pushed sales down for a second year in a row. Tesla said that it delivered 1.64 million vehicles in 2025, down 9% from a year earlier.

Elon Musk views robotaxis and autonomous driving as the future of the electric vehicle industry, but Tesla's automaker rivals have a different perspective.