Tesla European registrations climb in June

By Amir Orusov and Mathias de Rozario

July 1 (Reuters) - Tesla registrations rose across several European markets in June, data showed on Wednesday, extending a recovery in the U.S. electric vehicle maker's regional sales ahead of its second-quarter delivery report.

Tesla registrations, a proxy for sales, rose 39% in Denmark, 56% in Sweden and 43% in Portugal and Italy, according to bilstatistik.dk, Mobility Sweden, ACAP and the Italian transport ministry. In France, registrations more than doubled, according to auto industry body PFA. The growth was less pronounced in Spain at 5.6%, ANFAC data showed.

The rebound follows a weak period for Tesla in Europe, where it lost market share last year as Chinese brands gained ground, its model lineup remained limited and some consumers reacted against CEO Elon Musk's political stance.

France has been a bright spot for Tesla. Rico Luman, senior economist at ING Research, said demand there had been helped by the country's electric vehicle subsidy scheme and faster electrification of company fleets, while Tesla was also recovering from last year's controversy around Musk.

Norway bucked the broader trend, however, with new Tesla registrations falling 43% from a year earlier, according to data from compiler OFV. Norway's battery-electric vehicle sales had been boosted by "very generous" incentives and front-loaded ahead of a reduction in tax benefits in 2026, resulting in a temporary market slowdown this year, Luman said.

The June data also set the stage for Tesla's quarterly delivery figures.

Analysts expect Tesla to report a 5% rise in second-quarter vehicle deliveries, with much of the gain likely to come from Europe. Registrations of battery-electric vehicles in Europe rose 39.1% in May, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), helped by higher fuel prices that encouraged buyers to switch.

Britain and Germany, Europe's two largest car markets, are due to release June registration data later this week.

(Reporting by Amir Orusov and Mathias de Rozario; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Matt Scuffham)