Tesla, Inc. (TSLA.US) loses control of the US electric vehicle "headquarters"! Market share in California drops to below 50%.

In the United States, Tesla, Inc. (TSLA.US), which dominates the electric car market, no longer accounts for the majority of new registered electric cars in California, while the purchase of zero-emission clean vehicles in California accounts for almost one-third of the total in the United States. The California New Car Dealers Association announced on Wednesday that Tesla, Inc.'s share of electric car sales in the state in the first quarter of this year fell significantly from 55.5% a year ago to 43.9%. At the same time, Tesla, Inc.'s new car registrations in the first quarter dropped by 15%, while registrations for all other brands of electric cars increased by 35% at the beginning of this year. "The aging electric car product line, as well as some consumers, especially Democratic Party supporters, strongly opposed to the efficiency department of the U.S. government led by Elon Musk, may be key factors leading to the sharp decline in Tesla, Inc.'s market share of pure electric cars." The California New Car Dealers Association stated in its latest quarterly report. California is considered the "super headquarters" of electric cars in the United States, with the purchase of electric cars in California alone exceeding 30%. Despite consumers in the United States rushing to buy new cars this month before the car tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump take effect, Tesla, Inc.'s sales for the quarter still declined significantly, while sales of other electric car brands generally increased, reflecting the serious impact of political factors on Tesla, Inc.'s sales. Furthermore, Tesla, Inc. investors should be aware that although all models sold by Tesla, Inc. in the United States are produced at Tesla, Inc.'s large car factory in California or Texas, the core components of the global automotive supply chain that the company heavily relies on may face higher tariffs starting in early May. In addition to protests and violent behavior at Tesla, Inc. stores, which were sparked by CEO Musk's political activities in Washington, Tesla, Inc. was also hampered in the first quarter by manufacturing interruptions related to its most important electric car product, the Model Y. Tesla, Inc. had shut down all car assembly plants worldwide to overhaul the entire production line for its best-selling model and to carry out some important upgrade and renovation work. Statistics show that in the first three months of this year, Tesla, Inc. sold 42,322 cars in California, most of which were Model Y SUVs and Model 3 sedans. These two models are still the best-selling electric car models in the state, followed by the Honda Prologue and Hyundai Ioniq 5 SUVs. Tesla, Inc.'s expensive cyberpunk-style pickup truck, the Cybertruck, ranked 8th among all electric cars with a quarterly registration of 2,282, surpassing the Ford F-150 Lightning in 10th place. Compared to the Model Y and Model 3, the Cybertruck is priced much higher. Tesla, Inc. recently announced the launch of a new version of the Cybertruck in the U.S. market - the Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) Cybertruck, priced at $69,990, with the first deliveries expected to start in June or July, exclusively in the U.S. market. In comparison, the Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive (AWD) Cybertruck has a starting price of $79,990, while the high-performance Triple Motor Cyberbeast version starts at $99,990. Therefore, the new RWD version of the Cybertruck can be said to be the most cost-effective model. According to statistics from the Dealers Association, California is undoubtedly the largest market for electric cars in the United States, accounting for 31.1% of total electric car registrations last year. Tesla, Inc. used to be headquartered in Silicon Valley until Musk relocated the company's headquarters to Austin at the end of 2021. Since Musk took over as the leader of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), he has made significant reforms and streamlining of the federal government structure, which has led to widespread opposition from the U.S. civil service system, as well as from Democratic and non-MAGA Republican factions, demanding that Trump rein in Musk. In addition, Musk has used his business and political influence to intervene in European politics and elections, leading to global protests, refusals to buy and sell Tesla, Inc. stocks, and escalating trade tensions between China and the United States, ultimately causing Tesla, Inc.'s stock price to plummet by over 40% this year. Concerned that the Trump administration's aggressive foreign tariff policies will weaken the global electric car industry, several analysts on Wall Street have successively lowered their target stock prices for Tesla, Inc. on Thursday. UBS Group AG, a long-time bear on Tesla, Inc., has significantly lowered its target stock price for Tesla, Inc. to $190 within the next 12 months, and expects the automaker's car delivery volume to drop by 11% by 2025. As of the close of trading on Wednesday, Tesla, Inc.'s stock price fell by 4.94% to $241.55. According to a research report released by UBS Group AG's analyst team, the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on the global automotive industry could increase the average cost of each car by $5,000 and reduce domestic demand in the United States by 9%, considering the current high 25% car tariff and the 25% import tax on car parts set to take effect early next month.