According to Reuters' report on January 2, amid ongoing conflicts with labor unions in the Nordic region, Tesla remained the top-selling car in Norway for the third consecutive year in 2023, further expanding its lead.
Delivery data released on January 2 showed that last year, five out of every six new cars sold in Norway were fully electric, and Tesla's overall market share in Norway increased from 12.2% to 20.0%.
In the previous year, the Tesla Model Y became the best-selling model in Norway, surpassing Volkswagen's ID.4 electric version and the Skoda Enyaq. Following Tesla, Toyota held the largest market share in the Norwegian automotive market at 12.4%, an increase from the previous 8.0%, while Volkswagen's share decreased from 11.6% to 10.8%.
Currently, due to Tesla's refusal to accept collective negotiations with Swedish repair workers on wages and other conditions, the company is facing resistance from unions and pension funds in the Nordic region. Swedish dockworkers, truck drivers, postal workers, electricians, and cleaners are refusing to provide services to Tesla, with support from unions in Norway, Denmark, and Finland, and they are also assisting in preventing the export of Tesla cars to Sweden.
However, Christina Bu, the chairperson of the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association, stated that there is no evidence suggesting that Tesla's sales in Norway have been affected by this conflict. Bu told Reuters, "We have not observed any signs affecting sales."
The Norwegian Road Federation (OFV) reported that in 2023, electric cars accounted for 82.4% of new cars sold in Norway, an increase from 79.3% in 2022.
Although Norway is an oil-producing country, it aims to become the first country to stop selling gasoline and diesel cars by 2025. To achieve this goal, Norway exempts electric cars from many taxes imposed on internal combustion engine vehicles. However, in 2023, they began imposing some taxes on electric cars.
Bu suggested that the market share of electric cars in Norway could rise to 95% in 2024, and the Norwegian Parliament's goal is to achieve 100% by 2025. She continued, "It's a big leap, but we've had similar leaps before, like from 2021 to 2022, our market share almost increased by 15 percentage points, so I think we can achieve this goal in 2024."
In the Norwegian capital, Oslo, currently, over one-third of private cars are fully electric, and Bu predicts that this number could reach 50% in the next two years.
Responding to these views, Norway's largest car retailer, Moller Mobility Group, stated that electric cars would account for 90% of Norway's market share in 2024 but acknowledged that "a lot of work" still needs to be done to achieve the 2025 goal.
However, despite the reduction in noise and air pollution, not everyone is satisfied with the current situation. Some electric vehicle owners complain about a lack of on-street charging stations and believe that current policies favor those who can afford private charging facilities.
"Electric cars should be a choice for anyone… whether you live in a building with parking spaces or without parking spaces," said Oslo resident Inger Sophie Finch.
