France 1974-1976: Renault 5 in command, Citroen 2CV shines
Renault 5
Launched in 1972, the Renault 5 takes command of the French models ranking in 1974 with 154,000 sales and 11% market share. This is the start of a decade of domination for the small Renault and 5,580,000 units of the models would be produced up until 1984 when it was replaced by the Supercinq.
Citroen 2CV
The Renault 5 actually sees its share drop slightly over the next couple of years: it is at 10.2% with 151,200 sales in 1975 and 8.9% and 165,382 sales in 1976. I don’t have a detailed ranking for this period, just figures for specific models. Both years, the 25 year-old Citroen 2CV demonstrate an incredible longevity by selling 90,423 units for a very robust 6.1% share in 1975 and no less than 100,345 units and 5,4% in 1976!
1974, 1975 and 1976 sales figures below.
France 1974:
| Pos | Model | Sales | % |
| 1 | Renault 5 | 154,000 | 11.0% |
France 1975:
| Pos | Model | Sales | % |
| 1 | Renault 5 | 151,200 | 10.2% |
| Citroen 2CV | 90,423 | 6.1% | |
| Peugeot 104 | 87,458 | 5.9% | |
| Renault 4 | 84,494 | 5.7% |
France 1976:
| Pos | Model | Sales | % |
| 1 | Renault 5 | 165,382 | 8.9% |
| Citroen 2CV | 100,345 | 5.4% | |
| Renault 4 | 91,053 | 4.9% | |
| Peugeot 104 | 87,337 | 4.7% |
Source: L’Auto Journal
