France 1962-1965: Renault 4L takes control
Renault 4L
* See the Top 10 most produced models by clicking on ‘Read more’ at end of post! *
Launched in July 1961, the Renault 4L doesn’t wait and become the best-selling car in France in 1962, and stays there for four consecutive years. However for this period I only have official production rankings which differ from sales slightly. The 4L would end up being the best selling French car in history with 8,135,424 units by the end of its life in 1992.
Renault Dauphine
In 1962, the Renault 4L leads the production ranking with 197,000 units, with the Renault Dauphine resisting very well in 2nd place with 171,000 units, followd by the Simca 1000 at 154,000 units, the Citroen 2CV at 145,000 and the Peugeot 404 at 141,000.
Renault 8
In 1963, while the Renault 4L is at 233,000 units, for its first full year of sales the Renault 8 jumps 5 spots to land directly in 2nd place with 221,000 units produced. It is followed by the Peugeot 404 (174,000), Simca 1000 (169,000) and Citroen 2CV (158,000).
Peugeot 404
In 1964 if the Renault 4L is still the best-seller it is however not the most produced car in France: the Renault 8 takes the lead at 187,000 units vs. 181,000 for the 4L. The Peugeot 404 is a close #3 with 178,000 units, followed by the Citroen 2CV (168,000) and Simca 1300/1500 (157,000).
In 1965 the Renault 4L is back on top of both sales and production with 182,000 units. The Peugeot 404 (164,000) climbs to a brilliant 2nd place, ahead of the Citroen Ami 6 (158,000), Citroen 2CV (138,000) and Simca 1300/1500 (118,000), the Renault 8 falling to #7.
Full 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1965 Top 10 Production Ranking Tables below.
France 1962 – Production:
| Pos | Model | Production | % |
| 1 | Renault 4L | 197,000 | 15.5% |
| 2 | Renault Dauphine | 171,000 | 13.4% |
| 3 | Simca 1000 | 154,000 | 12.1% |
| 4 | Citroen 2CV | 145,000 | 11.4% |
| 5 | Peugeot 404 | 141,000 | 11.1% |
| 6 | Citroen Ami 6 | 85,000 | 6.7% |
| 7 | Renault 8 | 84,000 | 6.6% |
| 8 | Citroen DS/ID | 79,000 | 6.2% |
| 9 | Peugeot 403 | 77,000 | 6.0% |
| 10 | Panhard | 34,000 | 2.7% |
France 1963 – Production:
| Pos | Model | Production | % | Var |
| 1 | Renault 4L | 233,000 | 15.9% | 18% |
| 2 | Renault 8 | 221,000 | 15.1% | 163% |
| 3 | Peugeot 404 | 174,000 | 11.9% | 23% |
| 4 | Simca 1000 | 169,000 | 11.5% | 10% |
| 5 | Citroen 2CV | 158,000 | 10.8% | 9% |
| 6 | Citroen Ami 6 | 106,000 | 8.3% | 25% |
| 7 | Renault Dauphine | 90,000 | 7.1% | -47% |
| 8 | Citroen DS/ID | 87,000 | 6.8% | 10% |
| 9 | Peugeot 403 | 64,000 | 5.0% | -17% |
| 10 | Simca 1300/1500 | 64,000 | 5.0% | new |
France 1964 – Production:
| Pos | Model | Production | % | Var |
| 1 | Renault 8 | 187,000 | 13.9% | -15% |
| 2 | Renault 4L | 181,000 | 13.4% | -22% |
| 3 | Peugeot 404 | 178,000 | 13.2% | 2% |
| 4 | Citroen 2CV | 168,000 | 12.5% | 6% |
| 5 | Simca 1300/1500 | 157,000 | 11.6% | 145% |
| 6 | Simca 1000 | 114,000 | 8.5% | -33% |
| 7 | Citroen Ami 6 | 113,000 | 8.4% | 7% |
| 8 | Citroen DS/ID | 79,000 | 5.9% | -9% |
| 9 | Peugeot 403 | 51,000 | 3.8% | -20% |
| 10 | Renault Dauphine | 40,000 | 3.0% | -56% |
France 1965 – Production:
| Pos | Model | Production | % | Var |
| 1 | Renault 4L | 182,000 | 12.8% | 1% |
| 2 | Peugeot 404 | 164,000 | 11.5% | -8% |
| 3 | Citroen Ami 6 | 158,000 | 11.1% | 40% |
| 4 | Citroen 2CV | 138,000 | 9.7% | -18% |
| 5 | Simca 1300/1500 | 118,000 | 8.3% | -25% |
| 6 | Simca 1000 | 118,000 | 8.3% | 4% |
| 7 | Renault 8 | 100,000 | 7.0% | -47% |
| 8 | Citroen DS/ID | 83,000 | 5.8% | 5% |
| 9 | Renault 10 | 72,000 | 5.1% | new |
| 10 | Peugeot 204 | 51,000 | 3.6% | new |
| 11 | Renault 16 | 39,000 | 2.7% | new |
| 12 | Peugeot 403 | 27,000 | 1.9% | -47% |
| 13 | Renault Dauphine | 23,000 | 1.6% | -43% |
Source: L’Auto Journal
