Elon Musk has a 'European plan' to deal with Tesla's rising 'China problem' across the globe

Tesla has reportedly appointed Joe Ward, its vice president for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, to oversee global electric vehicle sales. This move comes as the company addresses declining deliveries and a series of executive departures. A Bloomberg report, citing people familiar with the matter, said Ward is set to lead Tesla's worldwide sales, service, and delivery organisation. Ward has worked at Tesla since 2010, starting as a logistics intern and advancing through the sales organisation before being named VP for EMEA in 2022.

The appointment comes as Tesla faces weakening EV demand in the US and declining sales in Europe. At the same time, CEO Elon Musk focuses resources on artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous driving, and robotics. Tesla sales in China also faced pressure in late 2025 and early 2026. In November 2025, the company's retail sales reportedly fell 7.37% year-on-year to 531,855 units for the Jan-Nov period. Meanwhile, October 2025 saw a 3-year low, shrinking Tesla's market share to 3.2% as the company faces strong local competition from BYD, Xiaomi, and Nio, which hurt Tesla's market position in China. In addition to declining sales in the US, China, and Europe, Tesla also lost its position as the world's top EV seller to China's BYD in 2025 amid slumping deliveries.




Ward's promotion follows the recent exit of Tesla's head of sales for North America, which was a part of an ongoing wave of senior executive departures from the company.

Tesla executives who have recently left the company

Last week, Raj Jegannathan, who had been leading Tesla’s sales operations since July 2025, announced that he was leaving the company after 13 years. Jegannathan, an engineering executive who served as VP of IT, AI Infrastructure, Apps, Infosec, and Vehicle Service Operations, had reportedly grown closer to Musk and was brought in to replace Troy Jones, who left as VP of North America Sales after 15 years at the company.

A number of veteran executives departed the company in 2025, including vehicle program managers for the Cybertruck, Model 3, and Model Y electric cars. Omead Afshar, a close aide to Mr. Musk who previously ran the electric carmaker’s sales and manufacturing operations in North America on an interim basis, is another who left the company last year. Other top employees who have left the company include Milan Kovac, who led Tesla’s engineering on the robot Optimus program, and David Lau, who ran software for over a decade.

Tesla's new global sales chief takes charge to address the company's European sales drop

Ward is assuming responsibility for global sales as Tesla works to address a sharp drop in demand across Europe. The carmaker's sales in Germany fell 48% in 2025 and have continued to decline in 2026. In January, Tesla sales in the UK, the Netherlands, and France dropped by 57%, 67%, and 42%, respectively.

The company has not launched new models or made notable updates to its current vehicles, and Musk's political activities have turned away many European customers.

Ward's promotion is notable given his background as a Tesla veteran with over 15 years at the company and experience running a major regional operation. However, he is being moved from the region where Tesla is currently experiencing a significant decline.

However, Tesla's demand issues extend beyond the sales and service organisation. With automotive revenue representing about 70% of the company's $24.9 billion last quarter, improving sales remains important even as Musk focuses on AI and robotaxis.

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