Monthly decline in French car sales deepened to 18 per cent in December, with Renault and Peugeot losing ground as an end-of-year subsidy hangover blighted demand for their smaller vehicles. Europe's second-biggest auto market logged 187,653 car registrations, accelerating its year-on-year drop from November's 7.6 per cent slide, France's CCFA automakers association said yesterday. Full-year sales fell 2.1 per cent. December's decline was accentuated by a sales surge at the end of 2010, when consumers rushed to showrooms before the expiry of government-funded subsidies on trade-ins, CCFA spokesman Francois Roudier said. Small vehicles Article continues below "Still, the market is showing a decline in morale," he said. "Registrations in the first quarter are also likely to reflect the lower orders automakers have been reporting." Paris-based PSA Peugeot Citroen, Europe's second-biggest automaker after Volkswagen, posted a 29 per cent plunge in December sales, the CCFA said. Smaller domestic rival Renault recorded a 28 per cent drop. "Orders were down about 55 per cent in December, which leads us to expect a car market contraction of 17 per cent in the first quarter," Renault France sales chief Bernard Cambier said by telephone. The automaker is forecasting an 8 per cent decline in the French car market this year and a 3 per cent gain in light commercial vehicle deliveries for a 7 per cent fall overall. While the subsidy withdrawal hurt small-car demand across the industry last year, the French automakers also suffered from ageing models in the key subcompact category. The Renault Clio and Peugeot 207 are both due for updates later this year. Peugeot's full-year market share fell 1 percentage point to 31.4 per cent, while Renault's slipped 2 points to 24.7 per cent, as both carmakers underperformed at home. Fiat's French registrations fell 14 per cent in December — less than the market — while VW bucked the slide with a 15 per cent gain, led by a 21 per cent surge at luxury unit Audi. Hyundai's Kia brand also resisted, with a 12 per cent gain.
GMT 11:55 2018 Friday ,14 December
Study shows most drivers not keen on switching to electric carsGMT 14:42 2018 Friday ,07 December
Road accidents are leading cause of death for childrenGMT 08:17 2018 Wednesday ,21 November
Paris, Tokyo seek to reassure after shock of carmaker Ghosn arrestGMT 10:40 2018 Tuesday ,20 November
Uber resumes service in Abu Dhabi after 2 years of suspensionGMT 13:15 2018 Monday ,19 November
Nissan chairman arrested over alleged financial law violationGMT 17:20 2018 Saturday ,29 September
Five things you should know before buying a pre-owned car in UAEGMT 15:46 2018 Sunday ,21 January
Masdar City to test latest concepts in autonomous vehiclesGMT 08:38 2018 Friday ,19 January
EU car sales top 15-mn barrier in 2017: dataMaintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor