NEW YORK (AP) — Months after Elon Musk left the Trump administration to the relief of Tesla investors worried about boycotts, the world’s richest man has announced some good news: Sales of Tesla cars are back.
Well, maybe.
The electric vehicle maker run by Musk reported Thursday that car sales jumped 7% in the three months through September after plunging for most of the year as people turned off by his embrace of President Donald Trump and far-right politicians in Europe balked at buying his cars.
But the jump comes with a caveat: Tesla benefited from consumers taking advantage of a $7,500 tax credit before it expired on Sept. 30, a surge in buying that helped all EV makers.
In fact, many Tesla rivals saw sales rise more. Rivian Automotive reported a 32% increase.