In France alone, Tesla sales declined 67 percent in May compared to the same month in 2024, according to data from France’s PFA registrar. The damage isn’t limited to boycotts, though, with vandals targeting dealerships and individual Tesla drivers finding their cars damaged.
Several of Terel’s clients are among those whose vehicles were vandalized, with one discovering a swastika painted on the side and another finding it defecated on, he said.
GKA filed the suit in the Paris Commercial Court on Wednesday, seeking to void the vehicle leases and for its clients to be repaid for the original cost of ownership, plus other damages.
The lawsuit uses an article from French civil code that states the seller of an item must “guarantee clients a peaceful use of the goods sold,” Terel said, calling it an old law that is being used in an unprecedented circumstance because of Musk’s role in the White House.
Musk was a key ally of U.S. President Donald Trump in the first 100 days of his second administration, leading the American government’s drive to slash federal spending. But the relationship between the two tycoons quickly soured, leaving Musk out in the cold.
A judge in the commercial court will decide if the case has merit and others can join the lawsuit in the interim. Several owners have inquired about the case since GKA filed its suit, according to Terel.
