Elon Musk has fired Omead Afshar, the head of Tesla’s sales and manufacturing operations in North America and Europe, multiple outlets reported Thursday. The apparent expulsion of the top exec comes as the billionaire’s car company flounders under plummeting sales in both the U.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has fired the carmaker's vice president of manufacturing and operations following a falloff in auto sales in the nation's largest markets this year.

In February, the “Tesla Takedown” movement staged anti-Musk demonstrations at dealerships in the U.S. and Europe, and there was a spate of vandalism against individual vehicles and charging stations. Cybertrucks were seen on video being set on fire, while other vehicles had the word “Nazi” spray-painted or etched into their sides.