Tesla struggles in Europe; in June, Chinese brands overtook Cupra, Ford, Citroën, and Fiat [2026 first-half results]

According to data collected by the European Association of Automobile Manufacturers, in June 2026 there was a silent earthquake in the new car market. Tesla recovered, but it was Chinese manufacturers who made the biggest gains. Most of them achieved market shares in Europe that surpassed those of Ford, Citroen, Cupra, and Fiat. If this trend continues, they will soon start challenging Kia and Hyundai as well. In the semi-annual rankings, only the first signs of this shift can be heard yet.

Chineses are coming like a storm

In June 2026, the Volkswagen Group sold the most cars in Europe (EU+EFTA+UK), accounting for 24.6 percent of the market share. But the real surge is visible at the bottom of the rankings. There’s Tesla, several selected Chinese manufacturers, and a few traditional brands, all listed in order of sales volume (source):

Tesla: 2.8 percent in June 2025 -> 3.7 percent in June 2026,

Geely Group: 3.4 -> 3.5 percent,

Opel: 3.3 -> 2.8 percent,

SAIC Motor: 2.1 -> 2.7 percent,

BYD: 1.3 -> 2.7 percent,

Citroen: 2.8 -> 2.6 percent,

Ford: 3.1 -> 2.5 percent.

Chery: 0.7 -> 2.3 percent,

Fiat: 1.9 -> 2.3 percent,

Cupra: 2.1 -> 2.2 percent.

Nissan: 2.1 -> 1.7 percent.

The figures for the first half of the year show:

Opel: 3.0 -> 3.2 percent,

Geely Group: 3.0 -> 3.1 percent,

Citroen: 2.8 -> 2.9 percent,

Fiat: 2.2 -> 2.7 percent,

Ford: 3.3 -> 2.7 percent,

SAIC Motor: 2.2 -> 2.5 percent,

BYD: 1.0 -> 2.4 percent.

Tesla: 1.6% → 2.4%,

Chery: 0.6% → 2.2%,

Cupra: 2.2% → 2.1%,

Nissan: 2.5% → 2.1%.

We thus have companies that are clear losers (Ford, Nissan) as well as firms that have secured a significantly larger share of the market (BYD, Chery). The pressure from Chinese brands has caused the market to expand slightly (6.82 million → 7.23 million units), with some buyers shifting to the segment of new cars from the used car market (after their first lease), but once this group is exhausted, competition in the industry will become even more fierce. Already now, all major companies are losing market share except for Stellantis, including Leapmotor (15.3% → 16%), and BMW (7.1% → 7.1%).

Ford’s new range of electric and hybrid vehicles is set to help the brand compete in Europe.

Tesla’s situation looks optimistic [for the manufacturer], with new subsidy programs in major markets helping to boost sales. The biggest obstacle to further growth could be a lack of a broader model lineup, though who knows how things would have turned out if Musk hadn’t been associated with Trump. At the bottom of the table, Leapmotor is performing well, selling mainly electric vehicles and still managing to rise from 0.1% to 0.8% market share in just one year. During the same period, Honda’s share stayed at 0.5% while Mitsubishi dropped from 0.4% to 0.2%.

The Leapmotor B10 is gradually becoming a price benchmark.

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