Investor Gary Black of The Future Fund LLC has lamented Tesla Inc.‘s (NASDAQ:TSLA) lack of advertising and sales growth amid the U.S.-Iran conflict as oil prices continue to surge globally.

Gary Black Questions Tesla’s Lack Of Sales

In a post on the social media platform X on Monday, the investor questioned why the automaker’s sales weren’t rising as Brent crude oil currently sits at close to $105 per barrel, and there was no sign of “the Middle East war ending anytime soon.”

He then criticized Tesla’s lack of advertising. “Unfortunately, there is no advertising from TSLA educating potential consumers on the benefits of EVs,” he said, outlining factors like charging, performance, as well as the automaker’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology.

“Tesla bulls keep talking up the FSD technology, but absent the devoted on X, nobody has a clue how great this technology is,” he said in the post.

The comments follow the investor earlier sharing that the Elon Musk-led automaker could theoretically record an uptick in sales as gas prices continue to rise.

However, as the war continues and oil prices surge, the company’s stock could be valued lower due to rising inflation and its impact on 10-year treasury yields.

Tesla Sales Surge In Europe

Meanwhile, Tesla recorded a 10% growth in registrations across Europe as the company reported sales growth in France, Portugal, Germany and more. The automaker registered 17,425 vehicles in February in the European market. However, its YTD sales for 2026 remained flat.

Gas Prices Surge

Amid the conflict with Iran, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) slammed the President Donald Trump administration as gasoline prices across the U.S. continue to surge. The average price for gasoline at the pump reached $3.699/gallon in the U.S., with Californians paying $5.05/gallon on Sunday.

Benzinga Edge Rankings show that Tesla scores well on the Momentum metric and offers a favorable price trend in the Long Term.

Price Action: TSLA gained 0.82% to $394.39 during Pre-market trading on Monday.

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