France, Feb. 9 -- Sales of Tesla cars slumped in five European countries in January, but the decline has been particularly sharp in France - with a drop of 63 percent.

The electric vehicle(EV) market declined by 6 percent overall in January compared to the previous year, but Tesla has been particularly hard hit.

Sales of the company's EVs dropped by 63 percent in France, 44 percent in Sweden, 38 percent in Norway, 42 percent in the Netherlands and 12 percent in the UK.

One explanation for the decline is Tesla's failure to launch a new mainstream model since the Model Y in 2021. Meanwhile, its European and Chinese rivals have brought out a range of more affordable products, better adapted to local preferences.

France has also decreased...