France 1-4 October 2018: No improvement just yet for Audi (-75%), Volkswagen (-50%), Nissan (-47%)

Audi sales are down 75% year-on-year so far in October in France.

* See the Top 10 best-selling brands and models by clicking on the title *

New car sales in France continue to endure the hangover of registrations pulled-forward to August in the wake of the September 1 implementation of the new WLTP emissions testing standard. Over the first five days of October, the market is down another 7% year-on-year. Peugeot (+8%), Citroen (+14%) and Renault (-18%) top the brands charts, an order not unusual given how back-loaded in the month Renault sales traditionally are. Toyota (+22%) continues to impress after scoring its first ever Top 5 monthly finish in September, as do Fiat (+35%) and BMW (+15%). If these early results are always to be taken with a grain of salt, there is one unmissable element: the depressed state of manufacturers that overused pre-WLTP stock clearances back in August is not disappearing just yet: Audi sinks 75%, Volkswagen is down 50% and Nissan down 47%. Notice also the temporary absence of Dacia in the Top 10.

Over in the models ranking, Peugeot justifies its domination by placing no less than 5 nameplates in the Top 10 for now. The 208 wins the week with the tiniest possible margin: one sale above the 3008, with both models up 18% year-on-year. The Peugeot 308 (-7%) is up to #5, the 5008 (+42%) up to #8 and the 2008 (-25%) up to #10. The Toyota Yaris (+27%) is the best-selling foreigner, one in just two in the Top 10 alongside the Fiat 500 (+81%).

Previous post: France September 2018: Toyota scores first Top 5 in market down 12.8%

One year ago: France October 2017: Peugeot 3008/5008 tandem triumphs

Full 1-4 October 2018 Top 10 brands and models below.