PARIS (awp/afp) – Sales of new cars in France improved slightly in September, confirming the rebound observed the previous month, in a year which will however remain very far from pre-crisis levels, due to persistent shortages of semiconductors.
“With 141,142 registrations, the French market for new passenger cars is up 5.46% in raw data compared to September 2021”, indicated Saturday in its monthly report the Automotive Platform (PFA) which represents manufacturers and equipment manufacturers. .
Over the first nine months of the year, sales of passenger cars remained down 11.8%, however, according to this report.
“It’s a statistical rebound, we have to be very careful, we are still at very, very low levels,” François Roudier, head of communication for the PFA, told AFP.
This points out that the French market is down 32%, over the first nine months of 2022, compared to 2019, the last “normal” year before the pandemic.
While in 2019, some two million new cars had been sold in France, “we will turn, according to a certain number of commercial directors of the brands around 1.5, 1.6 million over the year”, specified M Roudier.
Automakers “have managed to get vehicles off the production line by trying to get electronic components” but this problem “still remains just as significant” and the supply “very uncertain”, worried Mr. Roudier.
As recently as Thursday, production was suspended for three days at the sites of the Renault manufacturer, in particular those of Douai and Maubeuge, and it will be suspended again throughout the week of October 17, due to this persistent shortage of semi- drivers, according to union sources.
This problem affects the whole of Europe, underlined Mr. Roudier, who adds that the situation from one continent to another changes “every week”.
The only real note of optimism, according to Mr. Roudier, “the new electric models are working well”, which is “rather encouraging given the billions invested” in their development. Over the first nine months of the year, they represented 13% of sales (21%, including hybrid models).
“Car manufacturers, as soon as they have electronic components, favor electric vehicles”, deciphered the spokesperson for the PFA, explaining this trend by the need to “launch” this electric market and escape to penalties from Europe, in the event of a poor CO2 balance of their sales.
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