Tesla Sees 55% France, 32% Norway Registration Gains and Robotics Competition Heats Up
Tesla’s February registrations in France rose 55% and in Norway by 32%, reversing two years of European declines while Denmark sales fell 18%. Chinese rival Xiaomi deployed humanoid robots achieving three hours of autonomous operation with a 90.2% success rate, intensifying competition in robotics.
1. European Sales Performance
Tesla’s February registrations in France rose 55% and in Norway by 32%, contrasting an 18% decline in Denmark. These gains signal a stabilization in Europe after a 27% regional sales drop last year, supported by the rollout of cheaper Model 3 and Model Y variants in late 2025.
2. Rising Robotics Competition
Xiaomi’s humanoid robots demonstrated three hours of autonomous operation placing self-tapping nuts with a 90.2% success rate, powered by a Vision-Language-Action approach and reinforcement learning. Xpeng aims to mass-produce its IRON robot in Guangzhou by end-2026, while Boston Dynamics prepares Atlas units for Hyundai’s Georgia plant, capable of lifting 110 lbs.
3. Implications for Tesla’s Optimus Strategy
Elon Musk views robotics as a core growth driver and identifies Chinese firms as Tesla’s biggest robotics threat. Plans for an Optimus Academy using Tesla’s reality generator and Full Self-Driving training aim to accelerate development and deployment of the Optimus humanoid robot in production facilities.