China's BYD races ahead of Tesla for first time in Europe

Tesla sales across Europe plunged by half last month even as growth in the electric car market picked up pace, according to data released Tuesday.

The numbers are the latest indication of how much the Tesla brand is suffering because of the backlash against billionaire CEO Elon Musk over his far-right views.

Sales of Tesla vehicles in 32 European countries tumbled 49% to 7,261 in April from 14,228 in the same month the previous year, according to the figures released by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, or ACEA.

Tesla has been reeling from protests and boycotts over Musk wading into politics, but it also faces other factors including an aging model lineup and intensifying competition from rival electric vehicle brands, particularly from China.

U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war has also turned Europeans off buying American brands. In recent days, Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on EU goods, accusing the bloc of being “very difficult to deal with," before agreeing to delay the duties until July.

Chinese competitors race ahead

In the latest data, registrations of BYD's BEV sales in Europe surged to 7,231 units in April, marking a remarkable 169 percent year-on-year increase and ranking the company among the Top Ten brands in terms of the local sales volume.

In another sign that Tesla appears to be losing ground to cut-price Chinese brands, sales at China's SAIC zoomed up 54% in April, according to the ACEA figures. SAIC owns a slew of auto brands including U.K.-based MG, known for its low-cost EV models.

Tesla is also suffering because it had to shut down factories for several weeks this year while upgrading its best selling Model Y sport utility vehicle, pinching supply.

For the first four months of the year, Tesla's European sales fell roughly 39% to 61,320 while the continent's auto market as a while showed little change during the same period, according to the data.

For April, car sales in the EU edged up 1.3% from the previous year, “showing signs of recovery despite the ongoing unpredictable global economic environment,” the group said in a press release.