Tesla’s operations have been facing hurdles in Sweden as ongoing union blockades and import disruptions continue to cause problems.
Sales in the Scandinavian country have shrunk to just below 6,500 units over the first eleven months of the year, from 19,099 in the same period of 2024.
The company scored a minor victory on Friday when an upcoming blockade from a union was considered illegal, forcing them to back down.
The Vision union, with over 218,000 members mostly in the public sector, planned to block Tesla from establishing a service center and showroom in the city of Kalmar by halting related administrative and handling services.
However, according to Swedish media outlet Dagens Arbete, they have withdrawn the action, admitting that it may have represented an “illegal industrial action.”
After receiving an objection from the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKR), Vision’s deputy head of negotiations Oskar Petterson said the union “should not be challenging the regulations.”
“Together with IF Metall, we assessed that we were not in a position to challenge the legal assessment of whether we could carry out this specific action against Tesla,” Petterson told the media outlet.
‘Illegal Industrial Action’
The representative said they “chose to withdraw the notice itself” so as not to risk restrictions on the right to industrial action by several other players.
Petterson admitted that the notice was mostly in solidarity with IF Metall’s ongoing strike, which has disrupted Tesla operations for two years now.
SKR’s objection to Vision’s action against Tesla was based on the Public Employment Act.
The union is governed by the act, as it primarily represents public employees, even if not all of its members work in the public sector.
According to the act, industrial action can only take form against private-sector companies — which is the case of Tesla here.
Strike Updates
Earlier this week, IF Metall announced a social media strategy that communicator Emmy Brunnander calls “lighthearted actions,” which include a mockup of a group of elves posing as strike guards in front of Tesla showrooms.
They hold signs with messages such as “we never give up.”
“Even during the holidays, we fight for collective agreements,” Brunnander stated, adding that “this is already the second winter our strike guards stand outside and freeze.”
The union maintains its demand for Tesla to sign collective bargaining agreements covering wage increases, working hours, and pensions — standard practice among automotive companies operating in Sweden.
According to IF Metall, the company refuses to consider these collective bargaining agreements that would align its Swedish workforce with industry standards.
Last month, both Finnish firm Kone (an elevator and escalator company) and Allround Lack (a paint shop based in Sweden) joined the protracted strike led by IF Metall.
In October, the union also announced a complete work stoppage by Linde, one of Sweden’s largest trucking companies, affecting all Tesla-related deliveries and services.
Sweden Sales
Last month, Tesla sold 588 electric vehicles in Sweden — a 59.3% plunge from the 1,446 units registered a year ago.
The Elon Musk-led company has sold only 6,431 vehicles in the Nordic country between January 1 and November 30, a third of the 19,099 units registered in the same period a year ago.
Preliminary figures from the EU-EVs platform show that the company sold 426 vehicles in the first 18 days of December.
The company ranks below struggling EV maker Polestar, which registered 624 vehicles in its domestic country. Volvo and Volkswagen have sold above 1,200 units and Kia places third with 798 cars listed so far.
In the last full month of 2024, 2,502 Tesla vehicles had been sold in the country.
In the past months, Tesla introduced the more affordable Model Y Standard in the market, which lowered the SUV’s starting price to SEK 499,900 ($53,880).
The Model 3 Standard was also launched in Europe two weeks ago, after its first release in the US. The price begins SEK 55,000 lower, at SEK 449,900 ($48,490).
New orders for the entry-level SUV are expected to take place from January, while the sedan is expected to be delivered by February.
The refreshed iterations of the Model S and Model X are priced above SEK 1,200,000 and both include unlimited free Supercharging and Premium Connectivity.
Tesla currently offers a SEK 40,000 trade-in bonus and 0% financing on both the Model 3 and Model Y Premium Long Range (both AWD and RWD), plus the Performance version of the sedan.
The trade-in bonus applies to vehicles ordered until December 31.
“If the delivery is not taken by March 31, 2026, Tesla‘s trade-in bonus will not apply to your order,” the company adds, unless the delay is their responsibility.
