Tesla’s Sales Are Still Dropping All Around The World – Jalopnik

Happy Wednesday! It’s November 26, 2025, and that is The Morning Shift — your every day roundup of the highest automotive headlines from all over the world, in a single place. This is the place you will discover crucial tales which might be shaping the way in which Americans drive and get round.

In this morning’s version, we’re Tesla’s never-ending downward slide, in addition to its continued funding in small-scale robotaxi providers as an alternative of, y’know, promoting automobiles. We’ll additionally have a look at subsequent yr’s Audi Q3 pricing, and what Japanese auto employees need from their subsequent union contract. 

Tesla continues to be, ostensibly, a automobile firm. Sure, a automobile firm with a market cap that vastly outstrips its precise underlying financials, however a automobile firm nonetheless. Elon Musk appears to not care about this, although, as a result of his thoughts is caught on robots and AI — exploits that assist the corporate’s share costs, however not its gross sales. From Reuters:

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has spent a lot of this yr targeted on the carmaker’s robotics pursuits and profitable shareholder approval for his freshly minted $1 trillion pay bundle. In the meantime, the outlook for Tesla’s primary enterprise – promoting automobiles – is darkening.

Tesla faces gross sales stress on the earth’s three greatest automobile markets: Europe, China and the United States. The electric-vehicle maker’s gross sales fell 48.5% throughout Europe in October versus the identical month final yr, in keeping with knowledge launched by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association on Tuesday. For the yr, its gross sales are down about 30% within the area, whereas industrywide EV gross sales jumped 26%.

Tesla’s international automobile deliveries are anticipated to say no 7% this yr, in keeping with Visible Alpha, after a 1% drop in 2024. That is regardless of document third-quarter deliveries, which had been juiced by American automobile consumers racing to beat the September 30 expiration of an EV tax credit score.

Turns out, automobile consumers aren’t large on shopping for dated, cheaply constructed automobiles bought to them by somebody with wildly right-wing beliefs. Who knew!

At least Tesla is making an attempt to marry its CEO’s newest whim with the underlying enterprise, within the type of robotaxis. The firm has a number of circling San Francisco and some extra lurking in Austin — although that latter quantity is ready to extend. From Reuters:

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk mentioned on Tuesday that the variety of robotaxis in Austin, Texas, will double in December, following the rollout of its self-driving service within the metropolis in June.

“The Tesla Robotaxi fleet in Austin should roughly double next month,” Musk mentioned in a submit on X, which can also be owned by him.

It is just not instantly clear what number of robotaxis Tesla operates.

Of course, the announcement right here is only a tweet from Musk, which may imply nothing. Or, it may imply all the pieces, as a result of the CEO’s Twitter account is the closest factor Tesla has to a communications division. 

Audi has a brand new Q3 for 2026, marking the third era of a automobile that was actually inescapable final time I visited my hometown. Seriously, this stuff are in all places in New England. It stays to be see, although, whether or not that recognition survives the newest change Audi is making to its compact crossover for the upcoming mannequin yr: A value bump. From Automotive News:

Audi of America has pared down the Q3 compact crossover lineup within the U.S. as a part of a redesign but additionally considerably raised the beginning value.

The 2026 third-generation Q3 might be provided in a single trim: S Line. Audi provided two trims on the Q3, Premium and Premium Plus, for the 2025 mannequin yr.

U.S. pricing now begins at $44,995, a rise of $3,900 over the Premium trim’s beginning value of $41,095 and $1,100 over the beginning value of $43,895 for the Premium Plus. All costs embrace transport.

Prices on all the pieces are climbing, however automobiles are particularly hard-hit by tariffs. Compact crossovers usually use value as a promoting level, so it will be fascinating to see how this impacts Q3 gross sales going ahead. 

Japanese metalworkers are developing on a brand new spherical of union negotiations, and the unions’ commerce group has indicated what it needs for its employees: A elevate of $77 per 30 days. Yep, lower than 80 bucks. From Reuters:

A Japanese labour union group representing main producers mentioned on Wednesday that it will search a rise of at the least 12,000 yen ($77) in month-to-month base pay for subsequent yr, the identical goal as this yr.

The Japan Council of Metalworkers’ Unions (JCM) is taken into account a pacesetter for annual wage negotiations and represents about 2 million employees for blue-chip firms together with Toyota Motor and Nippon Steel.

The improve in base pay, which excludes seniority-based annual hikes already constructed into the pay scale, is essential to Japan’s said aim of reaching sustainable wage development exceeding the tempo of inflation.

Now, I’m only a humble New York City automotive journalist with a level in enterprise, however lower than $80 per 30 days appears extraordinarily affordable. That must be doable. Don’t make a complete factor of this, firms. 

Someday I’ll see this film. 

I’ve been listening to loads of Purity Ring lately. They’re a kind of bands the place I by no means actually ask that their sound evolve, I’m at all times completely satisfied to only get extra Purity Ring that appears like different Purity Ring I’ve heard.