Tesla introduces slimmed-down Model Y in Germany

The electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla wants to combat this year's decline in sales in Germany with a cheaper, slimmed-down vehicle.

The US company plans to sell a new "standard" version of the Model Y compact SUV, starting at €39,990 ($46,400). The next model up is now the "premium" version, with a price tag starting at €49,990.

Owner Elon Musk had originally promised a cheaper vehicle priced from $25,000. However, last year he decided not to develop a completely new, cheaper model using an innovative production process, but to sell a slimmed-down version of existing cars.

The new production system, meanwhile, is to be used for the planned specialized robot taxi, which has no steering wheel or pedals.

Tesla has been struggling with severely declining sales for months, particularly in Europe. New registrations in Germany halved to 14,845 vehicles in the first nine months of this year.

The reasons for this are thought to be increased competition and the political activities of Musk, who is known for his right-wing views.

September saw a slightly better result, with a decline of 9.4% to just over 3,400 new registrations in Germany. This put Tesla in third place in the German electric car market – behind VW and Škoda, and ahead of SEAT.

In its home market of the United States, the expiry of electric car subsidies at the end of the month, driven by President Donald Trump, boosted sales.