A dozen Teslas torched outside French dealership

TOULOUSE - A dozen Teslas were torched in France in what the authorities are treating as an arson attack, the prosecutor’s office said on March 3.

The prosecutor’s office told AFP an investigation has been opened into the March 2 attack on a dealership near the southern city of Toulouse, which left eight cars burnt out.

Another four cars were badly damaged amid evidence the blaze was “not at all accidental”, said the prosecutor’s office.

Mr Philippe Guyot, mayor of the Toulouse suburb of Plaisance-du-Touch, told AFP firefighters had quickly determined that the cause of the blaze was criminal,

The dealership’s premises had not been targeted, he added.

A handful of

anti-Tesla actions

have occurred in Europe since billionaire Elon Musk’s rapprochement with US President Donald Trump, his backing of European far-right parties and attacks on diversity.

Sales of Tesla cars halved year on year in January 2025 in Germany and France. AFP