Elon Musk is once again taking matters into his own hands at Tesla. The CEO is assuming oversight of the company’s sales operations in North America and Europe. Musk’s decision to take on more responsibility at Tesla follows the abrupt departure of longtime executive Omead Afshar.
Afshar, who had been responsible for both sales and manufacturing in the regions, exited the company late last month after reportedly being fired by Musk himself. Rather than backfilling his role, Musk has decided to personally manage sales in the United States and Europe, according to Bloomberg.
While Musk is stepping in to oversee sales, manufacturing responsibilities are being handed to Tom Zhu, a senior vice president best known for spearheading the success of Gigafactory Shanghai. Zhu will continue to manage Tesla’s sales efforts across Asia while expanding his remit to include global manufacturing, according to sources familiar with the internal reorganization.
The leadership shuffle comes just as Tesla prepares to report its second-quarter delivery numbers, which are widely expected to show another double-digit decline. Tesla’s second-quarter delivery estimates, compiled by Bloomberg, project around 389,400 units delivered globally — down roughly 12% year-over-year and marking the second consecutive quarterly drop. Analysts now expect Tesla to deliver just 1.65 million vehicles in 2025, a decline from the 1.79 million vehicles sold last year.
Much of the blame for Tesla’s sales slump has been placed on a combination of internal challenges and external headwinds. The company pointed to a Model Y production changeover as the reason for weak Q1 results, but that excuse will not apply in Q2. Broader demand issues, particularly in Europe and China, appear to be weighing more heavily.
In Europe, Musk has previously called the region Tesla’s “weakest market.” Data supports that claim – new vehicle registrations across Europe are down as much as 37% through the first five months of the year, although there are signs of a rebound in some regions.
Additionally, Musk’s increasingly polarizing public persona may also be impacting consumer sentiment. Polls suggest that Musk is viewed negatively in key electric vehicle markets like Germany and the UK, and his political endorsements — including far-right candidates in Europe — have sparked backlash and even vandalism against Tesla showrooms in countries like France and Italy.
Whether this latest management reshuffle will be temporary or long-term remains to be seen. For now, however, Elon Musk appears to be doubling down — not just on leadership, but on damage control — as Tesla navigates what may be its most challenging year since its rise to EV dominance.
