Welcome back to Critical materialsYour daily source for the most important news at the intersection of mobility and technology. On today’s agenda: Europeans remain unsatisfied with Tesla, a new non-Tesla electric car is a best-seller in the US, and Nvidia is putting more effort than ever into self-driving technology.
Let’s dig.
25%: Europeans continue to say “no thanks” to Tesla cars
2025 Tesla Model 3 performance
Photography: Andrei Nedelya
Early last year, Tesla sales began to decline in Europe. And as the latest numbers I collected Reuters In view, Europeans are still not very interested in the car brand run by Elon Musk. It signals a difficult 2026 for the company, which has given up on making major new cars that are not robotaxis.
In December in the UK, new Tesla registrations fell 29% to 6,323 units, according to Data Quoted from the outlet. Over the full year, Tesla sales in the UK fell by 8.9%. It was the situation Positively depressing in GermanyThe number of Tesla cars registered in 2025 decreased by 48.4% year-on-year to 19,930 units.
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Registrations in France, another large European market for the brand, fell by 37% in 2025. In Spain, they fell by 4%. One bright spot has been Norway, the electric car capital of Europe. 96% of vehicles registered in the country were electric last year, and Tesla set a new sales record.
It all started when Musk got involved in far-right politics in Europe. Add to the mix new Chinese competitors and Tesla’s legacy product lineup, and you have a recipe for a deep and stubborn sales rut. Although Tesla is introducing cheaper variants of the Model Y and Model 3 this year, the situation does not seem to be improving.
50%: Nvidia does what Tesla FSD couldn’t do
Mercedes MB.Drive Assist Pro
Photo by: Mercedes-Benz
Technically, the Nvidia news from CES is a few days old, but I wanted to highlight it here because it says a lot about where the driver assistance technology space could be headed.
Nvidia has sold chips that car companies can use to train their self-driving models in data centers, as well as computers designed to handle the actual task of automated driving in vehicles. This week it is Mayo announceda family of open source “parametric” AI models, simulation tools, and datasets that other companies can build upon to develop their own self-driving systems.
I think the bigger news – or at least the tangible development here – is that Nvidia’s internal competitor to Tesla’s full self-driving (supervision) system that is based on these models is almost ready. The company is launching the full Drive AV system in the new Mercedes-Benz CLA this year, giving the car Level 2 point-to-point driving capability. Under the driver’s supervision, the car promises to navigate through all the complexities of urban driving – traffic lights, cyclists, unprotected left turns – all the way to a programmed destination, just like an FSD.
Journalists who tried it during media previews were impressed. Our very own Patrick George said it Looks promising After a trip in San Francisco. ‘Tesla should be worried’ Edge Andy Hawkins books. I’ve watched videos of her in action; It felt smooth and handled chaotic traffic situations well.
For years, Musk has touted serious demand from other automakers looking to license FSD. But Nvidia beat it. Lucid Motors too It plans to use Nvidia technology At the next intersection worth $50,000.
If the system proves itself in the real world, I wouldn’t be surprised if other automakers get involved as well, putting NVIDIA at the heart of the race for personal, self-driving cars.
75%: There is a new car other than the best-selling Tesla in America
2024 Chevy Equinox EV FWD
Photography: Kevin Williams/InsideEVs
I know it’s a heavy list of stories today. But I can only say that this company sets the standard for both technology and electric vehicle sales volume in America.
It may be years before anyone can unseat America’s electric car king: the Tesla Model Y. But the battle for the best of the rest is very much on.
In 2025, the most popular car is not a Tesla Chevrolet Equinox EV. General Motors announced on Monday that it sold 57,945 of them last year. It just goes to show what happens when you show Americans an electric car with 300+ miles of range at a reasonable price.
Chevy’s compact crossover surpassed the Ford Mustang Mach-E, which finished the year with 51,620 units shipped. In 2023, before it was cancelled, the Chevy Bolt EV/EUV took the crown with total sales of more than 60,000 vehicles.
100%: What’s the hottest car other than Tesla in 2026?
The Bolt EV returns for under $30,000. Nissan LEAF is better than ever. There are wild cards like the Rivian R2 too. Which electric car will slide behind the Model 3 and Model Y this year?
Contact the author: Tim.Levin@InsideEVs.com
