For weeks, analysts have speculated that Tesla has seen a marked drop in sales since the beginning of the year, and the electric-car maker’s recent gyrations on price cuts and cost-saving initiatives have only bolstered their suspicions.

Recently compiled data on new-car registrations from a large portion of the United States seems to offer further support for that view. According to the Dominion Cross-Sell Report, a compilation drawn from state motor vehicle records, registrations of new Tesla vehicles fell significantly from January to February in the 23 states the report covers. The states include California, which accounts for about half of Tesla’s sales, as well as Texas, Florida and Washington, three other big markets for the carmaker.

Last month, 6,252 Teslas were registered with motor vehicle agencies in the 23 states, compared with 23,310 in January and a monthly average of 13,000 to 17,000 in the fourth quarter. The totals tend to reflect a lag because cars are often not registered until the month after purchase.

In December, Tesla was scrambling to sell cars before the end of the year because the federal tax credit available to its customers was set to fall by half on Jan. 1, to $3,850. So a surge in January registrations would not be unexpected. The question is whether an ensuing downturn like the one reflected in the Dominion data would prove lasting.