France 1990: Peugeot 205 reclaims top spot, Renault Clio arrives

Peugeot 205

* See the Top 100 best-selling models by clicking on the title! Many thanks to STAC *

The French new car market hits what still remains today its highest volume ever at 2,309,130 registrations, up 2% year-on-year. 5 years after its last stint in pole position, the Peugeot 205 reclaims the title of best-selling car in France with 229,044 sales and 9.9% share, up 4% on 1989. This is partly due to the replacement of the Renault Supercinq, still #1 from January to March but #3 over the full year at 146,443 units and 6.3%, by the Renault Clio launched in May.

Renault 21

Re-energised by its facelift, the Renault 21 is up 3 spots this year to #2 with 152,223 sales and 6.6% share. The Renault 19 drops 17% to #4 at 144,250 units and 6.2%, followed by the Peugeot 405 with 131,874 sales and 5.7%. The Citroen AX has a very interesting year, peaking at a fantastic 2nd place in May and June at an outstanding 7.6% market share, to finish the year at #6 and 127,810 units (5.5%).

The Renault Clio is obviously the best performing newcomer, landing in the market in May and ranking 2nd as early as July, keeping that position for the rest of the year. It peaked at 9.4% in October but didn’t manage to unsettle the Peugeot 205 from its top spot this year. Further below the Peugeot 309 improves its share slightly to 4.2%, staying 8th.

Citroen XM

The VW Golf beats the volume record for a foreign model for the 3rd consecutive year with 88,990 sales and 3.9%. It even reached a fantastic 4.9% share in December, the best market share ever for a foreign model in France. Notice the Citroen XM at #15 with 42,923 sales and 1.9% share, just below the Renault 25, and the Peugeot 605 at #18 with 36.956 units and 1.6%.

Previous year: See the 1989 France Top 100 best-selling models here.

Full Year 1990 Top 100, every monthly Top 10 Ranking Tables and every model sales below.