Tesla saw a steep decline in sales in Germany last month, as CEO Elon Musk deepened his involvement in the country’s politics ahead of its national elections.

Tesla’s sales in Germany plummeted by 59% in January, and the electric car maker registered only 1,277 new vehicles in the country. According to figures from Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority, last month’s registration numbers were the lowest for the company since July 2021.

Tesla’s sales slide comes amid an expansion of demand for electric vehicles in Germany, with the market growing 54% year-over-year in January. It marks a major change of pace from early 2024, when government EV subsidies expired.

Tesla faced declining sales across Europe last month, with disappointing sales in the United Kingdom, France and Norway. The largest decline occurred in France, which reported a 63% drop in sales in January. Norway and the U.K. posted sales declines of 38% and 8%, respectively.

Tesla’s less-than-stellar German sales figures come as Mr. Musk makes inroads in German politics. He has attached himself to the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party by appearing at party events and hosting X Spaces with the party’s leader.

AfD, seen for most of its history as a fringe party, has surged with Mr. Musk’s involvement. German polls suggest the party will achieve about 20% of the vote in the Feb. 23 national election, which would mark the party’s best showing.

Still, Mr. Musk has faced intense criticism for his association with AfD. Critics in the U.S. and Germany have associated AfD with Nazis, due to the party’s support for deportations and its use of former Nazi slogans.

• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.