Tesla Loses Market share in Sweden, Norway as Musk Looms Large

A general view of a Tesla store in Porsgrunn, Norway, December 24, 2021. REUTERS/Victoria Klesty/File Photo
A general view of a Tesla store in Porsgrunn, Norway, December 24, 2021. REUTERS/Victoria Klesty/File Photo
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Tesla Loses Market share in Sweden, Norway as Musk Looms Large

A general view of a Tesla store in Porsgrunn, Norway, December 24, 2021. REUTERS/Victoria Klesty/File Photo
A general view of a Tesla store in Porsgrunn, Norway, December 24, 2021. REUTERS/Victoria Klesty/File Photo

Tesla lost market share in Sweden and Norway in January, car registration data showed on Monday as the US electric vehicle maker faces a test of popularity following billionaire CEO Elon Musk's high-profile foray into politics.

A total of 405 new Teslas were registered in Sweden last month, down 44% from January of 2024, while registrations in Norway fell to 689, a decline of 38% over the same period, despite soaring overall demand for cars in the two countries.

While Tesla's Model Y crossover SUV was the most sold car in both of the two Nordic countries in 2024, the group's image has taken a hit in recent weeks, a market sentiment survey by Sweden's Novus Group found according to Swedish news agency TT, Reuters reported.

In addition to his strong backing for US President Donald Trump, Musk has also voiced polarising opinions on politics in Europe and beyond, drawing criticism from European capitals, including Norway's prime minister.

Musk, who also runs the X social media platform, has dismissed criticism against him as an affront to democracy and free speech.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

The share of Swedes having a positive view of Tesla declined to 11% in a Novus survey conducted after Trump's inauguration from 19% in a similar poll conducted Jan. 15-17, while those who said they had a negative view rose to 63% from 47%, TT reported.

Tesla's decline came despite soaring overall auto sales in the two countries, with Swedish car registrations increasing by 14% year-on-year in January while the Norwegian market grew by 82%, boosted by rising economic optimism.

Tesla's share of the overall Swedish car market declined by half to 2.1% in the month of January from 4.2% a year prior, while in Norway it fell to 7.4% from 21.7% over the same period.

The registration volume of individual auto brands can, however, change significantly from month to month dependent on production cycles, product offerings and competition.



Downloads of DeepSeek's AI Apps Paused in South Korea Over Privacy Concerns 

People watch a TV reporting DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)
People watch a TV reporting DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)
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Downloads of DeepSeek's AI Apps Paused in South Korea Over Privacy Concerns 

People watch a TV reporting DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)
People watch a TV reporting DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)

DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, has temporarily paused downloads of its chatbot apps in South Korea while it works with local authorities to address privacy concerns, South Korean officials said Monday.

South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission said DeepSeek’s apps were removed from the local versions of Apple’s App Store and Google Play on Saturday evening and that the company agreed to work with the agency to strengthen privacy protections before relaunching the apps.

The action does not affect users who have already downloaded DeepSeek on their phones or use it on personal computers. Nam Seok, director of the South Korean commission’s investigation division, advised South Korean users of DeepSeek to delete the app from their devices or avoid entering personal information into the tool until the issues are resolved.

DeepSeek got worldwide attention last month when it claimed it built its popular chatbot at a fraction of the cost of those made by US companies. The resulting frenzy upended markets and fueled debates over competition between the US and China in developing AI technology.

Many South Korean government agencies and companies have either blocked DeepSeek from their networks or prohibited employees from using the app for work, amid worries that the AI model was gathering too much sensitive information.

The South Korean privacy commission, which began reviewing DeepSeek’s services last month, found that the company lacked transparency about third-party data transfers and potentially collected excessive personal information, Nam said.

Nam said the commission did not have an estimate on the number of DeepSeek users in South Korea. A recent analysis by Wiseapp Retail found that DeepSeek was used by about 1.2 million smartphone users in South Korea during the fourth week of January, emerging as the second-most-popular AI model behind ChatGPT.