Musk sacks top lieutenant as Tesla sales slide for fifth month

Tesla has dismissed Omead Afshar, the executive who ran operations in North America and Europe, people close to the company told Reuters. Afshar, an engineer-turned-vice-president who joined in 2017, was regarded inside the firm as chief executive Elon Musk’s “fixer”. Neither man answered requests for comment.

His removal lands just days before second-quarter results. Analysts now expect global deliveries of about 392,800 vehicles, at least 10 % below last year’s 443,956. Europe is already hurting as May registrations fell 27.9 %, marking a fifth straight monthly drop and cutting Tesla’s market share to 1.2 % from 1.8 %.

Sales are also shrinking elsewhere. U.S. registrations are down year-to-date, while mainland China, Tesla’s biggest market, recorded a 15 % slide in May. The brand’s image has taken a hit from Musk’s outspoken politics and his controversial role in Washington’s cost-cutting DOGE programme.

Investors reacted coolly. Shares closed on Thursday at $325.78, scarcely changed on the day but 19 % lower for 2025. Rival Chinese makers such as BYD are expanding rapidly in Europe, doubling their share to almost 6 %.

Tesla is betting on robotaxis, humanoid robots, and artificial-intelligence services to revive growth after the Cybertruck missed volume targets. A tightly controlled robotaxi pilot in Austin on 22 June drew reports of erratic behaviour; U.S. road-safety officials are reviewing the incidents.

Musk must now fill two high-profile gaps, Afshar and Milan Kovac, the former Optimus robot chief who left this month, while persuading buyers that new models will follow. For owners and would-be adopters, the question is whether upheaval at the top slows the rollout of cheaper, more efficient electric cars.

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