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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