China’s BYD beat out Tesla for the first time this April to become the top EV vehicle brand sold in Europe. BYD only outpaced Tesla by 100 vehicles, but the 7,231 cars that made their way to Europe show that tariffs are not deterring European consumer demand.
Sales for BYD’s battery-powered vehicles soared 170% overall in April YoY. In comparison, all other electric vehicles collectively saw a 17% increase in sales over the same period. I’ve mentioned numerous times that China simply has the ability to produce cheaper vehicles that are often better quality than what is made in the EU or the US. BYD car sales rose 300% in Europe this past April on an annual basis, and the company expects the trend to continue.
China has pumped over $230 billion into its growing EV sector since 2009. Batteries account for around 40% of the total cost of EVs, and companies like BYD can maintain low prices if they own the supply chain to create these batteries from the raw materials to the finished packs. BYD has announced that its newest line will cost as little as $9,555, a price no other EV manufacturer has been able to provide.
This October, BYD will begin manufacturing vehicles at its new EV factory in Szeged, Hungary. The Atto 3 BEV SUV will be the primary focus, but will later expand to include the Atto 2 BEV SUV-B and potentially the Dolphin model. The company plans to produce around 150,000 vehicles at this facility in the first year of operation, but believes it will later double production to 300,000 as it expects demand to grow. Naturally, a facility in Hungary will allow the company to bypass tariffs.
Volkswagen still reigns supreme in Europe, but will now face stiff competition. The company sold 150,000 EVs in Q1 2025, marking an 113% annual uptick. Sales in March surpassed 240,891 units, allowing VW to overpower Tesla in the European market for the first time. The German manufacturer sold 216,800 vehicles worldwide in Q1, or a 59% uptick YoY.
BYD is continuing its European expansion with a new $1 billion investment in western Turkey. The plant will be fully operational in 2026, and is expected to produce 150,000 units in year one. This is another strategic entry point into the European market. Turkey exempted BYD from recent tariffs on Chinese gas and hybrid vehicles that would have marked up the price by 50% on top of a 10% customs duty. Turkey is aiming to increase auto manufacturing in general and has set aside $30bn for high-tech sectors, allocating $5 billion of that package for EV production.
Tesla sales in Europe have taken a major hit, declining 46.2% this April on an annual basis. Tesla sales in Germany fell 45.9% to 885 units, the UK experienced a 62% decline, Denmark saw sales fall 67%, the Netherlands plunged 74%, Portugal dropped 33%, Sweden fell 81%, and France plunged 59% compared to April last year. Although EV sales in general are up in the EU, Tesla is losing its competitive edge as other manufacturers can produce lower-cost vehicles. Additionally, people simply hate CEO Elon Musk as we saw Tesla vehicles vandalized in what those on the far left hoped would be a political movement.
Volkswagen is a leader in Europe’s EV transition, and the EU is relying on German manufacturing. However, China’s EV market is larger and rapidly expanding. Volkswagen cannot compete within China for vehicle sales, but is still fighting to maintain its top spot as Europe’s main EV supplier.
Posted originally on May 23, 2025 by Martin Armstrong
Various polls show Donald Trump’s approval rating is rising, with some polls such as InsiderAdvantage/Trafalgar calculating an approval as high as 55%. “These results are not a surprise,” InsiderAdvantage pollster Matt Towery wrote. “Other pollsters who accurately polled election cycles where President Trump’s name appeared on the ballot have been showing his approval ratings moving into the fifty-percent-plus range.”
The same poll posted an approval rating of 46% in April when tariff talks spooked the markets, with a disapproval rating of 44%. The same poll conducted in March showed Trump’s approval sitting at 50%, with disapproval at 45%. Other polls are showing similar results. RealClearPolitics conducted a poll of all polls, estimating Trump’s overall approval rating is 47.1%, with a disapproval rating of 49.1%.
The Harvard University Center for American Political Studies (CAPS)/Harris poll for May found that 51% of voters believe the American economy is “strong.” Around 47% of respondents approved of Trump, with 48% disapproving. This is the first time in four years that the American public has felt strength in the domestic economy.
Unlike the last administration, the American people are actively watching as the president fulfills his campaign promises, from deporting illegal migrants to cutting taxes and attracting foreign investments. Trump is a highly active president who is engaging with the public on a daily basis. The nation is no longer questioning who is in charge.
It all comes down to confidence. Trump’s optimism about the United States’ future trajectory is trickling down to the public.
Posted originally on May 22, 2025 by Martin Armstrong
QUESTION: Marty, I want to express my gratitude for hosting your conference in London last year in May. You said then that this might be the last time you see London. I remember when you lived in Cornwall Gardens. Do you think you will ever have a European conference again?
EH
ANSWER: I will only return to London if Nigel Farage becomes PM. I am doing this report on how countries separate and collapse. It is very much a sign of the times. Britain under Starmer has gone simply mad. He intends to take you to war with Russia. He and Macron think that they can defeat Russia, get the $75 trillion in natural assets, and then the glory of the British Empire will rise again, while Macron views that France will lead Europe, which is why my sources in France call him the “Petite Napoleon.”
I do not think I could dare set foot in Britain. Starmer would imprison me for something I said at that conference or 10 years before. Maybe you should apply for political asylum in the USA, as suggested here by the former police officer. It would be interesting to see Trump’s response. During Vietnam, some Americans fled to Canada to avoid the draft. In Europe, they are going up to age 60. My staff in Germany has confirmed a personal friend who is 60, was told to report for duty.
Posted originally on CTH on May 23, 2025 | Sundance
New CCTV video released by Wisconsin media shows Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan outside her courtroom speaking with federal ICE agents who were there to arrest a criminal illegal alien appearing in Judge Dugan’s courtroom.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was previously indicted by a grand jury on charges of obstruction and concealing an individual from arrest. The charges outlined in the criminal complaint. (1) obstructing a criminal illegal alien capture; and (2) concealing the illegal alien to avoid apprehension and arrest. WATCH:
Posted originally on CTH on May 22, 2025 | Sundance
At issue was President Trump’s plenary authority to remove Gwynne Wilcox, a former member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and Cathy A. Harris, the removed chair of the federal Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). The NLRB oversees laws protecting workers’ rights and union elections nationwide, while the MSPB defends federal government workers against political discrimination.
The court’s order [READ ORDER HERE] is unsigned; however, it provides dissent from the three DEI appointed justices (lesbian, latina, black), and did not decide the underlying merits of the case, which will continue to play out in the lower courts. Presumably the court alignment was 6-3.
The overall decision is an endorsement of presidential authority to appoint leadership within the executive branch without review. The power of the president is plenary to the Executive Branch. As noted in the opinion, “Because the Constitution vests the executive power in the President, he may remove without cause executive officers who exercise that power on his behalf, subject to narrow exceptions recognized by our precedents.”
(VIA ABC) – The Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Thursday bolstered President Donald Trump’s bid to assume full control of executive branch agencies, giving a green light — for now — to his removal of the heads of the National Labor Relations Board and Merit Systems Protection Board, whom he fired without cause.
A district court had sided with Cathy Harris of the Merit Systems Protection Board and Gwynne Wilcox of the National Labor Relations Board, concluding their firings from their independent agencies were likely illegal and must be reversed.
In a 6-3 decision, the high court granted Trump’s request for a stay of the lower court order to reinstate Harris and Wilcox, at least for now.
“The Government faces greater risk of harm from an order allowing a removed officer to continue exercising the executive power than a wrongfully removed officer faces from being unable to perform her statutory duty,” the majority explained.
The dispute is currently working its way through a federal court of appeals and may ultimately return to the Supreme Court on the merits.
Federal law and Supreme Court precedent explicitly prohibits the president from removing the heads of those independent, advisory agencies without cause in most cases — but conservatives and the administration have long argued that the rule is unconstitutional. (read more)
Posted originally on CTH on May 22, 2025 | Sundance
Earlier today, President Donald Trump, HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr and various cabinet officials within the Make America Healthy Again administration, took part in a MAHA commission event at the White House. WATCH:
Posted originally on CTH on May 22, 2025 | Sundance
Dilbert creator and President Trump supporter Scott Adams revealed days ago that he has the same terminal cancer diagnosis of Joe Biden, metastatic prostate cancer. According to Adams his lifecycle will likely expire sometime this summer.
Earlier today during his now shortened podcast, Scott Adams revealed that President Trump personally called him to check on him and offer words of support. {Direct Rumble Link} WATCH:
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