The Renault Austral dethrones the benchmark for hybrids, the Toyota Yaris Cross. © Erick Fontaine / Digital
According to monthly figures provided by NGC Data, March 2023 was a prolific month, with 187,715 new passenger car registrations, an increase of 24%. By way of comparison, this is more than in March 2022 (152,395 registrations) and a little less than March 2021 (188,322 registrations). Some would argue that this increase is due to the fact that traditionally March is a “strong month“, with open days organized at many dealerships.
In the first quarter of 2023 (65 working days), 434,515 passenger cars were recorded, an increase of 15% compared to the same period of 2022 (64 working days).
On the engine side, while gasoline still occupies first place with 71,505 registrations (PDM of 39%), diesel continues its long descent into hell with 19,874 registrations (-6%; PDM of 11.2%). In the electrification segment, hybrids (full hybrids in English) recorded 38,508 registrations, an increase of 23%.
Like last February, the category is approaching petrol engines in terms of market share (30.7% vs. 39%).
Here are the top 20 registrations of non-rechargeable hybrid passenger cars:
SALES OF NEW NON-PLUG-IN HYBRID PASSENGER CARS IN MARCH 2023
| BRAND | MODEL | Immat. |
|---|---|---|
| RENAULT | SOUTHERN | 3413 |
| TOYOTA | YARIS CROSS | 2967 |
| RENAULT | ARKANA | 2910 |
| RENAULT | CAPTURE | 2455 |
| FORD | PUMA | 2188 |
| NISSAN | QASHQAI | 1874 |
| HYUNDAI | TUCSON | 1514 |
| TOYOTA | YARIS | 1503 |
| FORD | KUGA | 1425 |
| RENAULT | CLIO | 1258 |
| FIAT | 500 | 1251 |
| TOYOTA | C-HR | 1173 |
| KIA | SPORTING | 1000 |
| SUZUKI | SWIFT | 868 |
| TOYOTA | COROLLA | 853 |
| FORD | FOCUS | 566 |
| NISSAN | JUKE | 538 |
| HYUNDAI | I20 | 491 |
| HYUNDAI | Kona | 458 |
| NISSAN | X-TRAIL | 433 |
It moves in the top 20 hybrid vehicles with the crowning of the Renault Austral. Second last month, it goes number one with 3413 copies (PDM of 9%), to the detriment of the Toyota Yaris Cross, which goes down a step with 2967 copies (PDM of 8%). Another surprise with the Renault Arkana, which jumped from 7th to 3rd place with 2,910 units (PDM of 8%). As a result, the Renault Captur (2,455 units; market share of 6%) takes 4th place.
Renault Austral Iconic
Toyota Yaris Cross 4 x 4 First
Renault Arkana E-TECH 145 Intens
Other lifters include the Hyundai Tucson (1,514 units; market share of 4%) which jumps from tenth to seventh place, and the Ford Kuga (1,425 units; market share of 4%) which climbs from twelfth to ninth position . On the other hand, the Volkswagen Golf (399 copies; PDM of 1%) and Toyota RAV4 (339 copies; PDM of 1%) are ejected from the top 20.
Looking a little closer at this top 20, the most present manufacturers are Toyota and Renault with four models each, followed by a trio made up of Ford, Hyundai and Nissan, with three models each.