Tesla's efforts to bolster its sales in the U.K. have hit yet another snag, after the EV giant put plans to open a new store in London amid widespread protests.
What's happening?
According to The Telegraph, Elon Musk's company was scouting locations on Oxford Street and other areas in London for a potential new store. However, a source said the plans for the store were unlikely to progress beyond that point, saying there is "too much going on politically for it at the moment."
Previously, Tesla had held a pop-up shop on Oxford Street in April, but it, along with several other Tesla locations around the U.K., was targeted by protesters over Elon Musk's association with global far-right political movements, including conservative Tommy Robinson in England.
Why is Tesla not opening a London store important?
It has been a rough year for Tesla in the U.K. While signs indicate that it may see a bump in sales in the coming weeks, it doesn't change the fact that sales have otherwise been in a nosedive in recent months.
For example, in July of 2025, Tesla saw a 60% drop in sales compared to July of the previous year, and the company has seen a 7% dip in sales in all of 2025 to date.
In other words, it would normally be a time when Tesla would be eager to get as many eyes on its vehicles as possible, in an effort to try to slow the bleeding. That the company is choosing not to proceed with plans is an indicator that things remain difficult, and that it expects them to remain difficult in the region in the short-to-medium-term future.
What's being done about Tesla's flagging sales?
Tesla is making a bold gambit in the face of its global sales dip. Rather than lowering prices or rolling out new editions of models, the company is opting instead to shift away from typical business choices and betting big on its AI-powered self-driving capabilities. The company has been testing its robotaxi services and has begun amassing the castings needed to begin manufacturing its fully driverless Cybertaxis.
Until those plans come to fruition, though, it's clear that things could very well continue to be rough for Tesla in the U.K. and around the world.
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