Registrations of new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles in France declined 17.3% year-on-year in September 2012 to 166,891 units. The total was 34,955 units below the September 2011 total of 201,846.
Both car and LCV registrations continued to decline in September, falling 18.3% and 12.5% respectively, according to the French automotive industry association CCFA. The car market fall was an acceleration from the year-on-year fall of 11.4% seen in August , but the LCV fall was below the 16.5% year-on-year decline seen in the previous month.
Total car sales in September were 136,859, versus 167,526 in the same month of the previous year, with sales of French brands down 19.8% at 74,201 (92,487), taking a 54.2% share of the market. Foreign brands reported registrations of 62,658, a year-on-year fall of 16.5% from September 2011’s 75,039.
PSA Peugeot Citroen led the car market again last month, selling 42,257 units, compared with 44,475 September 2011, a drop of 5.0%. Market share increased to 30.9% from 26.6%. The Peugeot brand performed solidly in September, sales falling just 0.8% year-on-year to 22,875 units (23,067), with Citroen’s sales off 9.5% at 19,382 (21,408).
In contrast to PSA’s relatively solid showing in September, the Renault Group suffered a weak month, with sales down 33.4% year-on-year at 31,929 (47,942), and market share declining to 23.3% from 28.6%. Renault brand sales alone fell 35.8% to 27,396 (42,664) while Dacia sales eased 14.1% to 4,533 (5,278).
The Volkswagen Group remained the best-selling foreign brand in the French market in September with sales of 17,548, a 17.4% year-on-year fall from September 2011’s 21,251. Audi sales actually rose 0.7% to 4,724 but the Volkswagen, SEAT and Skoda brands saw falls of 18.1%, 42.0% and 27.5%, respectively.
Key gainers among the foreign brands were Toyota, which saw combined Toyota and Lexus sales rise 5.4% year-on-year to 5,491 units, and the Hyundai Group, with a 23.7% gain in sales to 4,518. Kia sales rose just 8.9% to 2,417 but Hyundai brand sales soared 46.5% to 2,101. The biggest losers were the Fiat Group, which saw sales in France fall 38.4% in September to 4,241 (6,880) and Ford, which saw sales fall 31.5% to 5,776 (8,429).
A total of 30,032 LCVs were registered in the country last month, down 12.5% from 34,320 a year earlier. Domestic brands made up 21,046 units (-12.4%), while foreign brands saw their numbers decline 12.7% to 8,986 units. Unlike in the previous month, Renault led the LCV market in September, selling 11,079 units, a drop of 12.7%, versus PSA’s 9,918, a fall of 12.4%. The Fiat Group was the top-selling foreign OEM, with LCV sales of 3,085, down 6.0% from September 2011’s 3,282. Market share rose to 10.3% from 9.6%. Mercedes-Benz was the key loser, its LCV sales in September falling 30.8% year-on-year to 1,122 (1,622).
The combined passenger car and LCV market was led by PSA in September, accounting for 52,175 units, down 6.5% year-on-year, compared with 55,792 units in September 2011. The combined light vehicle market saw French brands account for 95,247 units (-18.3%), while foreign brands made up 71,644 units, down 16.0%.
The total light vehicle market in France in the first nine months of 2012 was 1,718,034, versus 1,972,981 in the same period of the previous year, a decline of 254,947 units, or 12.9%. The car market alone totalled 1,430,832, versus 1,661,271, a fall of 13.9%, while the LCV market totalled 287,202, compared with 311,710, a fall of 7.9%.
CV registrations in France totalled 3,132 units in September, translating into a drop of 20.1% from a year ago. This segment comprises vehicles more than five tonnes. In the first nine months of 2012, CV registrations were 32,681, down 6.8% year-on-year.
As expected, the CCFA lowered its 2012 market outlook to predict a 12% fall, instead of the 10% contraction previously forecast.
