France April 2017: Peugeot 2008 and 3008 lead their segments

The Peugeot 3008 frankly outsells the Renault Kadjar. Picture largus.fr 

* See the Top 45 best-selling brands and Top 275 models and Top 10 private sales by clicking on the title *

The French new car market is down 6% year-on-year in April to 171.879 registrations, due to two less opening days than a year ago. Adjusted to the same number of opening days, the market is up 3.9%. Year-to-date, sales are up 2% to 712.933 with exactly the same number of opening days as in 2016. Looking at sales by channel, once again private sales fare worse than the market at -10.6% to 79.476 and a low 46.2% market share vs. 48.6% a year ago. Business sales on the other hand be at the market at -2.9% to 34. 532 and 20% share vs. 19.4% a year ago. Finally, demo sales shoot up 15.9% this month to 13.4% share and are up 18.7% so far this year, confirming the source of the year-to-date market growth is mainly artificial.

Brand-wise, market leader Renault trails the market at -9% to 18.9% share vs. 19.5% so far this year whereas Peugeot beats it at -2% to 18% vs. 17.5% in 2017. Citroen follows the overall trend at -5%, remaining above 10% share thanks to the new C3, Volkswagen tumbles down 15% just as the Polo (-14%) and Golf (-45%) await their facelift, and Dacia is down 5% but remains above its year-to-date level at 6.3% share vs. 5.7%. In the private sales channel, the rankings are overturned with Peugeot frankly distancing Renault at 13.106 sales vs. 11.876 and Dacia above Citroen at 9.072 vs. 8.097.

The new C3 keeps Citroen above 10% share. Picture largus.fr

Below, Toyota is up 2% thanks to the C-HR (#34), Nissan is stable thanks to the Qashqai (+15%) and the new Micra (#78), Fiat is up 4% thanks to the Tipo (#36), Kia is up 12% thanks notably to the Sportage (+21%), the new Rio (+43%) and the Niro, Seat gains 23% thanks to the Ateca (#71), Skoda is up 10% thanks to the Kodiaq (#127) and Suzuki up 16% thanks to the Baleno and Ignis. All three top-selling premium brands are down: Audi (-8%) ahead of Mercedes (-5%) and BMW (-14%). Among smaller brands, Alfa Romeo (+55%), Maserati (+57%) and Tesla (+63%) shine. Of course if you want to buy one of these cars don’t forget to get The Best Car Air Fresheners to Refresh Your Ride, and make your car worth it.

In the models ranking, the Renault Clio (-8%) remains in the lead for just 35 units above the Peugeot 208 (-10%), and we witness some more interesting duels below. The Peugeot 2008 (+9%) has taken a clear advantage over the Renault Captur (-23%), the Peugeot 308 (-15%) stays way above the Renault Megane IV (+16%), the Peugeot 3008 II (#6) outsells the Renault Kadjar (#16) and the Citroen C4 Picasso (#10) is above the new Renault Scenic IV (#11). Notice also the VW Tiguan (#15) up 160% to become the 2nd best-selling foreign model below the VW Polo and the Audi Q2 breaking into the Top 50 for the first time at #49.

Looking at the models ranking in the private sales channel, the Dacia Sandero remains by far in pole position despite sales down 2% year-on-year. It distances the Peugeot 2008 (+5%) once again outselling the Peugeot 208 and Renault Clio, both down 15% this month. The Citroen C3 (+2%) and Peugeot 3008 (+88%) follow, while the Renault Captur loses almost half its sales year-on-year at -47%.

Previous month: France March 2017: Peugeot 2008 settles at #3 in market up 7%

One year ago: France April 2016: Dacia Sandero overall best-seller with private buyers

Full April 2017 Top 45 brands, Top 275 models and Top 10 private sales below.

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France March 2017: Peugeot 2008 settles at #3 in market up 7%

 The Peugeot 2008 ranks 2nd with private buyers at home this month.

French new car sales are up 7% year-on-year in March to 226.145 units, lifting the year-to-date tally up 4.8% to 541.065 units. However yet again this growth is mainly artificial with inventory registrations up a whopping 26% on March 2016 whereas private sales only gain 1.7% to 106.733 and are up only 1% year-to-date to 257.568 or a historically low 47.6% market share. As per every end of Quarter, market leader Renault posts a strong 21.5% market share vs. 19.7% year-to-date but gains less ground than the market at +4%. Peugeot on the other hand is up 12% while Citroen gains 9% thanks to the solid score of the new generation C3.

Volkswagen is in trouble at -9% and holds onto the 4th spots overall for a mere 675 units above Dacia up 10%. Other manufacturers in great shape this month include Toyota (+34%), Suzuki (+22%), Fiat (+18%), Kia (+18%), Mercedes (+15%) and Hyundai (+14%) but DS drops 34% to #20. Among smaller brands, notice Alfa Romeo (+34%), Maserati (+65%), Jaguar (+83%) and Infiniti (+145%).

The Renault Clio continues to dominate the models ranking with just under 5.9% share, a full percentage point above the Peugeot 208 at #2. Slowly but surely, the Peugeot 2008 settles into third place, a ranking it holds this month (+10%) and year-to-date (+14%). Its archenemy the Renault Captur follows at #4 in March but ranks 5th so far this year below the Peugeot 308. Recent launches makes themselves noticed: the new gen Citroen C3 remains at #6, the new Renault Megane is up one spot on February to #8 and the Peugeot 3008 down 1 to #9.

There are no foreign models inside the Top 13 (vs. Top 12 last month) with the VW Polo (-19%) leader the way above the Toyota Yaris (+13%) and Nissan Qashqai (+8%). Just below, we find the VW Tiguan (+204% thanks to the new model), the Fiat 500 (+19%) and Opel Corsa (+21%). Other great gainers inside the Top 50 include the Opel Mokka (+24%), Ford Kuga (+35%), Renault Talisman (+37%), Renault Zoe (+45%) and BMW X1 (+45%). The Audi Q2 (#57) is now the 2nd best-seller for the brand below the A3 (#37), the new generation Nissan Micra breaks into the Top 100 at #93 and this month we welcome the Alfa Romeo Stelvio at #160 and the new gen Land Rover Discovery reappears at #203.

Private sales of the Dacia Sandero are up 30% this month. Picture largus.fr 

In the private sales aisle, the Dacia Sandero reigns supreme with deliveries up 30% year-on-year thanks to its facelift, and is now followed by the Peugeot 2008 up 8% to n2nd place, distancing the Peugeot 208 (-5%), Renault Clio (-16%) and Captur (-7%). A very different picture than the overall sales charts indeed. Year-to-date, the Peugeot 2008 is now only 4 units below the 208 for second place overall. Notice also the Peugeot 3008 up 124% on the previous generation to #7 private sales. The locally-produced Toyota Yaris (+16%) makes it to the Top 10.

Previous month: France February 2017: Citroen C3 and Toyota C-HR impress

One year ago: France March 2016: Renault impresses in healthy market up 7.5%

Full March 2017 Top 45 brands, Top 275 models and Top 10 private sales below.

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France February 2017: Citroen C3 and Toyota C-HR impress

Citroen C3 – a first WRC win in Mexico coincides with a 2nd place in the French private sales charts. 

* See the Top 50 brands, Top 275 models, Top 10 private sales and Top 20 LCVs by clicking on the title *

1. Passenger cars market – brands

In January, French new car sales were up 10.6%, but just 0.5% once adjusted for daily rates. In February we witness the opposite: sales are down 2.9% but with one less selling day than in February 2016, this drop actually equates to a 2% annually adjusted gain. Renault fell to 2nd place in the brands ranking in January due to a now routine “start of period fatigue” after loading up on tacticals in December as per every quarter end. In February, Renault reclaims the brands top spot despite a 6% year-on-year drop, followed by Peugeot (-8%), Citroen (-3%) and Volkswagen (-9%), plunging the entire Top 4 best-sellers into negative territory.

The new generation Nissan Micra makes its landing in France.

In fact, Dacia (+6%) Fiat (+7%) and Toyota (+26%) are the only carmakers posting year-on-year gains in the Top 10, with Nissan (-19%) suffering the most. BMW snaps the luxury crown despite sales down 6%, ahead of Mercedes (+7%) and Audi (-13%). Further down, notice Kia up 12%, Suzuki up 22%, Seat up 27%, Volvo up 28% but DS down 34%. Among smaller brands, Infiniti (+28%), Jaguar (+30%), Maserati (+33%), Aston Martin (+133%), Tesla (+148%) and Lamborghini (+200%) all impress.

The Toyota C-HR ranks at #25 in France this month, up two spots on January. 

2. Passenger cars market – models

The Renault Clio remains sovereign in the models ranking despite deliveries down 7% to 8.656. The Peugeot 208 (-12%) stays in 2nd place while the Peugeot 308 (-19%) climbs back onto the podium above the Peugeot 2008 (+4%) – that’s three Peugeots in the Top 4 vs. three in the Top 8 for Renault (Captur at #5 and Mégane IV at #8). The third generation Citroen C3 nudges up one spot to #6 with 5.002 sales, but its performance comes to light after a further study of the sales figures: adding the second generation’s sales brings the C3 February total to 6.537 and allows the nameplate a third place overall behind the Clio and 208, a ranking the C3 nameplate had not held since October 2014. The C3 does even better with private buyers, as we detail further down.

The third generation Citroen C3 breaks into the Top 5 and ranks #2 with private buyers. 

Looking into a couple of long running rivalries among French nameplates shows dominance of the PSA Group: Renault Mégane IV – although up 114% year-on-year to #8 – remains well below its rival the Peugeot 308 at 4.052 sales vs. 5.465, the Peugeot 3008 II (3.976) dominates the Dacia Duster (2.959) and Renault Kadjar (2.108) and the Citroen C4 Picasso (3.234) reclaims the MPV lead off the Renault Scénic IV (2.339). The locally produced Toyota Yaris (+14%) is the most popular foreigner this month at #13 – meaning that just like in January the Top 12 best-sellers in France are all locals. The VW Polo (-24%) ranks 2nd foreigner above the VW Tiguan lodging another outstanding performance at +86% to #16 overall. Note the Tiguan brilliantly remains above the Golf (down 6% to #20) in the year-to-date charts at 4.768 sales vs. 4.396.

The new generation Kia Rio shows up directly at #102 in France this month.

Among further recent launches, the Toyota C-HR continues to impress and edges up two spots on January to a best ever #23 thanks to 1.734 sales, the Fiat Tipo is up 16 spots to obliterate its personal best at #27 – previously #43 hit last month and in November 2016), the Audi Q2 is up 8 ranks to #58, the Seat Ateca up four to #61, the Ford Ka+ up 17 to #67 and the Suzuki Ignis up 15 to #76. This month we welcome two new entrants inside the French new car sales charts: the new generation Kia Rio landing directly at #102 and the new gen Nissan Micra at #213.

The Dacia Sandero frankly dominates the private sales charts in France. 

3. Private sales

After being edged out of the annual pole position at the last minute in 2016, the Dacia Sandero reclaims the throne in 2017 with 4.410 private sales in February (+20%) and 8.704 year-to-date (+18%). Surprise in 2nd place: the Citroen C3 gains 10% to 3.818 sales and also ranks #2 year-to-date at 8.153 units (+15%), distancing its two arch-enemies the Peugeot 208 at 6.980 (-12%) and the Renault Clio at 6.584 (-2%). Back to the February charts where the Peugeot 2008 posts a splendid third place with 3.397 sales, outselling the 208, Clio and Captur. The Dacia Duster is the best-selling SUV with private French buyers at #6. The Peugeot 3008 ranks 10th.

Renault Trafic

4. Light Commercial Vehicles

The LCV market goes against the grain in February with a 4.2% year-on-year gain (+9.4% annually adjusted) to 34.616 deliveries. The Renault Kangoo firmly holds onto the top spot with 9.4% share ahead of the Renault Clio at 7.5%. The Renault Trafic gains three spots on January to #3, the Renault Master is up one to #4. the Peugeot Expert also up one to #8 and the Ford Transit 2T up three to #14. The Mercedes Vito (#18) and Renault Mégane IV (#20) break into the Top 20 this month.

Previous month: France January 2017: Four Peugeots in Top 5, Citroen C3 III up to #7

One year ago: France February 2016: Dacia and Opel shine in market up 13%

Full February 2017 Top 50 brands, Top 275 models, Top 10 private sales and Top 20 LCVs below.

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France January 2017: Four Peugeots in Top 5, Citroen C3 III up to #7

The Peugeot 3008 II leaps up to 4th place at home in January. Picture largus.fr

* NOW UPDATED with the Top 35 brands, Top 275 models and Top 20 LCVs – see title *

Under a robust 10.6% year-on-year January increase for France with two extra selling days hides in fact a tiny 0.5% progression when adjusted for daily rates. Worse: as it was the case last year also, the majority of this “gain” comes from tactical channels, up a whopping 26.3% to 44.812 registrations. Private sales on the other hand continue their decline relative to the rest of the market – up 5.9% to 75.010 but down 3.7% when seasonally adjusted – and now representing just 49% of the French market vs. 51.3% a year ago. Business sales are up an even weaker 3.5% or down 5.9% adjusted. Looking into tactical channels in more detail, short-term rentals do the heavy lifting with a gargantuan 51% gain to 19.863 led by Citroen doubling its sales in this channel to 2.329 while Renault is up 78% to 3.000 and Peugeot up 52.6% to 3.709. Demo sales are up 12.5% to 21.224 or 14% of the entire market – a very concerning ratio indeed. The historically high level of tactical sales in the French market illustrate a macro-trend: dealerships are selling more and more of these vehicles at a much lower price as “new used”, finding here a necessary solution to weak private demand.

First ever podium ranking at home for the Peugeot 2008. Picture automobile-magazine.fr 

As we have already observed this month in two other major European markets (Spain and Italy), Renault now heavily loads its end-of-quarter and end-of-year sales with tacticals, and therefore suffers the following month. This situation is, logically, even more blatant at home in France. Like last year, Peugeot (+13%) takes the lead of the overall market with 18.6% share vs. 16.7% over the FY2016 whereas Renault (+17%) is at a weak 17.9% vs. 20.2% in FY2016. However a healthy caveat to these figures for Renault is its stunning progression with private buyers at +24.3% (13.017) where it is back above Peugeot (12.480) up just 10%. It’s worth noting though that both market leaders display private sales ratios that are even lower than the overall market at 47.4% for Renault and 43.7% for Peugeot. Renault is also #1 in the business channel including long-term leasing with a 13.3% gain to 7.872 vs. 7.752 for Peugeot.

The third generation Citroen C3 breaks into the Top 10 and ranks #2 with private buyers. 

In third place, Citroen can finally smile as it returns above the symbolic 10% market share at home (11%) after falling to a lowest-ever 7.5% in December and 9.7% over the FY2016. However these figures have a lot to do with short-term rental sales up 2.2-fold and demo sales up 39% whereas business sales freefall 16% and private sales are up just 2.6%, or down 6.8% seasonally adjusted. Volkswagen starts the year with a 5% decline to just 6.9% share while Dacia sees stable volumes send its market share down to 5.7%. Below, Toyota (+18%), Ford (+41%), Opel (+15%) and Fiat (+24%) comfortably beat the market and all punch above their FY2016 levels. However among these brands only Toyota posts a healthy gain with private sales up 29.2% to 4.337. Ford sees its demo sales up 2-fold to 1.112 and short-term rental sales up 8-fold (!) to 1.553 while Opel sees private sales down 8.1% and only owes its gains to tactical sales. Audi (+3%) reclaims the luxury crown but is slower than BMW (+8%) while Mercedes (-10%) crumbles down 9 spots to #15, the counter-effect of a fleet-strong December. Hyundai (+22%), Kia (+24%), Suzuki (+36%) and Seat (+48%) impress.

The VW Tiguan ranks at #2 among foreign models and #14 overall, a record. 

Thanks to sales soaring 45% year-on-year to 8.714, the Clio is the only Renault in the Top 7, with Peugeot placing no less than four nameplates in the Top 5, a first. The 208 (+9%) takes the 2nd spot overall while the 2008 (+35%) signs the first ever podium finish of a career now spanning four years (February 2013 launch). But the personal bests don’t stop here for Peugeot: the second generation 3008 climbs to #4 overall with 5.634 sales, equalling the first generation’s pb of #4 reached in March 2013. The Peugeot 308 (-17%) rounds up the Top 5 ahead of the Dacia Sandero (+11%). The Citroen C3 III finally blossoms, jumping 12 spots on December to break into the Top 10 for the first time at #7. The Renault Captur, Scenic IV and Megane IV compose the tail end of the January Top 10 in France.

The Toyota C-HR breaks into the French Top 25 and ranks #16 with private buyers.

The foreign model order is turned on its head this month: traditionally dominated by the VW Polo and Golf, these fall to 4th and 5th places respectively among foreigners in January. Instead, the Ford Fiesta is the most popular, boosted up 89% by runout discounts on the outgoing generation at #13 – also meaning the Top 12 best-sellers are all locals. The new generation VW Tiguan continues to take the nameplate to new heights and is #2 foreigner this month at a best-ever #14, beating the #15 it hit last September. The Toyota Yaris (-8%) follows, while the Fiat 500 (+29%) and Opel Corsa (+30%) lurk just below. But this order may be on the verge of being shaken up once again, with the arrival of the Toyota C-HR at a brilliant 25th place this month with 1.1% share, up 40 spots on December and even ranking #16 with private buyers at 1.154 sales vs. 1.304 for the Yaris (-10%). A handful of recent launches also shine: the Audi Q2 is up 27 to #64 and now the brand’s best-selling crossover, the Ford Ka+ is up 30 to #83 and the Suzuki Ignis up 64 to #88 – the latter two nameplates breaking into the Frenh Top 100 for the very first time.

The Dacia Sandero reclaims the #1 spot with private buyers in January. 

Zooming in on the private sales models ranking, the Dacia Sandero – having lost the title of best-seller for 2016 on the edge – reclaims the top spot in January with 5.7% share. But the #2 model is a surprise: the Citroen C3 up 44% to 5% share and stunningly outselling both the Peugeot 208 (down 5% to 4.8%) and Renault Clio (up 25% to 4.7%)… The Peugeot 2008 (+23%) for its part beats the Renault Captur (-5%) with the Peugeot 3008 shooting up to #7 and 2.388 sales, well ahead of the Renault Scenic (1.661) and Kadjar (936). Over in the LCV rankings, the Renault Kangoo and Clio continue to dominate, but the Citroen Berlingo (6.9%) and Peugeot Partner (5.8%) are now applying pressure. The Top 6 best-sellers are all French, with the Fiat Ducato (#7) the only foreigner in the Top 12. Helped by the new generation, The Peugeot Expert (#9) and Citroen Jumpy (#10) progress.

Full brands and models data will be uploaded to this post when available.

citroen-jumpy-france-2016-picture-courtesy-largus-frThe Peugeot Expert is up to #9 and 4.2% in the LCV ranking vs. #11 and 2.5% in 2016. 

Previous post: France Full Year 2016: Private sales under 50% for the first time in history

Previous month: France December 2016: New generation Renault Scenic up to #6

One year ago: France January 2016: Peugeot 208 and 308 lead market biased by tactics

Full January 2017 Top 35 brands, Top 275 models and Top 20 LCVs below.

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France Full Year 2016: Private sales under 50% share for the first time

renault-clio-france-2016-picture-courtesy-largus-frThe Renault Clio is #1 in France for the 6th year in a row. 

* See the Top 50 brands, Top 350 models, Top 10 private sales, Top 10 LCV brands and Top 100 LCV models by clicking on the title *

* Check out over 120 years worth of French Historical Data here *

New car sales in France gain 5.1% year-on-year in 2016 to get back above the 2 million mark for the first time since 2011 at 2.015.186 registrations, or almost 100.000 additional sales compared to 2015. This result ranks among the highest ever volumes in France, where roughly 2.2 million units were sold in 1988, 1990, 1991, 2009, 2010 and 2011. The big, symbolic news in France in 2016 is private sales falling under half of the market for the first time in history due to a meagre 0.9% gain to 993.795 registrations or 49.3% share vs. 51.4% last year. To give perspective to this situation, private sales represented 75% of total registrations in the nineties and were still at 66.4% in 2009. So what is happening in France?

Almost all sales gains for the year are due to business sales including long term leasing, short term rental sales, dealership self-registrations and demo sales. All of the above is label “artificial” sales channels as they can be easily manipulated by manufacturers to reach sales goals. Business sales are up 7.8% to 422.430 units or 21% share, representing one-third of the 2016 overall market gain and short term rentals are up 9.7% to 11% share. The one channel that has been the most effective at fuelling the overall French market gain is the artificial channel par excellence: demo sales, up a mammoth 13.7% to 301.828 units and 15% share vs. 13.9% in 2015. Of all trends affecting the French new car market in 2016, this is the core one: manufacturers and dealerships now self-register unsold cars to discount them as “zero km second-hand”. This enables them to satisfy demand from French customers affected by the reduction of their purchase power.

Peugeot 208 France 2016. Picture courtesy largus.frThe Peugeot 208 is up 8% on 2015 but remains in 2nd place. It is #1 with private buyers. 

The second striking trend in France is a continuation of 2015: leasing. In French LOA (Location avec Option d’Achat – Leasing with Purchase option) and LLD (Location à Longue Durée – Long Term Leasing), this financing option is also is in line with the difficulty of French customers to follow the premiumisation of the car market, treating the car purchase as a subscription. A record 27.6% of all private sales or 274.148 units have been purchased through leasing in 2016, up 31.7% on 2016. 26.7% is LOA and 0.9% is LLD. In the business sales channel, 49.9% of total units are purchased through LLD and 26% through LOA, resulting in a 75.9% leasing market share. This way, the overall share of leasing in the total French market in 2016 stands at a record-high 35.4%.

In this changing context, Renault benefits from the renewal of its lineup, beating the market with a 7% gain to return above the symbolic 20% share mark (20.2%), while Peugeot is up just 3% to 16.7% share vs. 17.1% last year. Citroen struggles, down 3% to plunge below 10% for the first time in decades at 9.7%. Volkswagen manages to limit the effect of its emission scandal at -1% to 7.1% share but Dacia continues to gallop ahead at +13% to hit its highest ever annual volume in France, above 110.000 units. Ford (-2%) is getting caught up by Toyota (+8%) while Nissan (-7%) is threatened by Opel (+6%). Fiat (+15%), Kia (+16%), Hyundai (+17%), Suzuki (+12%), Mazda (+23%), Jeep (+16%), Honda (+25%) and Alfa Romeo (+15%) also shine.

audi-q2-france-2016Audi remains the #1 luxury brand, but Mercedes and BMW keep the pressure. 

The leasing trend has benefited premium brands in a big way in France, making their purchase a lot more digestible, with all Top 3 luxury brands improving by double-digits. Audi (+10%) remains in the lead but its advantage over Mercedes (+12%) is now just 2.626 sales, with BMW (+13%) lurking 4.165 units behind: the three Germans fit within 0.2% market share in 2016… Other luxury brands positively impacted by leasing – and new models – include Mini (+12%), Volvo (+12%), Lexus (+14%), Land Rover (+17%), Tesla (+33%), Maserati (+44%), Jaguar (+144%) and Infiniti (+189%).

With sales up 3% to 5.6% share, the Renault Clio posts a 6th consecutive year in the French pole position, now adding up to 18 annual wins in the past 26 years, the first one being in 1991. Make no mistake, the Peugeot 208 isn’t dead yet: it ranked first four times in 2016 (January-April-July-August) vs. three in 2015 and just once in 2014, and is up 8% to 4.9% share. The Top 5 best-sellers are unchanged with the Peugeot 308 (+0.04%), Renault Captur (-2%) and Peugeot 2008 (+4%) following. The Dacia Sandero surges 24% and 3 spots to land at a record 6th position, the Renault Mégane IV ranks 8th for its first full year of sales but remains far from the 308, the Citroen C4 Picasso (#9) leads its segment but will be outsold by the Renault Scénic IV in 2017 and the Renault Kadjar ends 2016 at a brilliant 12th place but was frankly outsold by the new gen Peugeot 3008 during the last two months of the year. Like in 2015, there are no foreigners in the Top 10: the VW Polo (#11), VW Golf (#14), Toyota Yaris (#15) and Nissan Qashqai (#18) dominate that ranking.

dacia-sandero-france-2016-picture-courtesy-largus-frThe Dacia Sandero was #1 with French private buyers for a large part of the year. 

The Clio only owes its pole position to fleet sales: private sales only represent 39% of the Clio’s overall deliveries and are down 9% this year to third place whereas the nameplate still comfortably dominated this channel in 2015. Instead, the Peugeot 208 takes the lead with private sales up 5% and representing 50.4% of its overall volume – in line with the market. The big surprise comes from the Dacia Sandero, which was the French favourite with private buyers for a large part of the year, only losing its YTD leadership to the 208 in the last weeks of December. 87% of Sandero volumes are realised through private sales. Like last year, the Peugeot 2008 (#4) outsells the Renault Captur (#5) with private buyers. Among the Top 10 private sales, notice also the Dacia Duster (#7), VW Polo (#9) and Toyota Yaris (#10).

The French Light Commercial Vehicle market is up by a robust 8% year-on-year in 2016 to 410.097 units and Renault up 6% remains the master in command with a market share (32.1%) superior to that of its two French competitors combined: Peugeot up 10% (16%) and Citroen up 5% (15.2%). Fiat (+14%) and Ford (+13%) outpace the market to lodge improved shares, with Volkswagen (+12%), Iveco (+18%) and Nissan (+39%) also in great shape. Model-wise, the Renault Kangoo (+9%) delivers a 19th consecutive year at #1, distancing the Renault Clio (+3%), Citroen Berlingo (+7%) and Fiat Ducato (+13%). Boosted by the new model, the Citroen Jumpy (+23%) posts the largest gain in the Top 10, with the Peugeot Expert (+38%), VW Transporter VI (+448%), Ford Ranger (+46%) and Nissan NP300 (+136%) also making sparks further down the ranking.

Citroen Jumpy sales are up 23% to break into the French LCV Top 10.

Previous post: France December 2016: New generation Renault Scenic up to #6

Previous year: France Full Year 2015: Fleet and rental sales push market up 7%

Previous year (LCV): France LCV Full Year 2015: Renault outpaces market to hold 33% share

Two years ago: France Full Year 2014: Renault Captur on podium

Full Year 2016 Top 45 brands, Top 350 models Top 10 private sales, Top 10 LCV brands and Top 100 LCV models vs. Full Year 2015 data below.

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France December 2016: New generation Renault Scénic up to #6

renault-scenic-france-december-2016-picture-courtesy-largus-frThe Renault Scénic IV shoots up to 6th place overall at home in December. 

* See the Top 42 brands, Top 300 models and Top 10 private sales by clicking on the title *

The French new car market ends 2016 on a dynamic 6% year-on-year increase to 194.381 registrations, lifting the final annual tally up 5% (detailed Full Year 2016 report will follow shortly). End-of-period months are always strong for Renault and December is no exception with a 22.2% share for the French carmaker (+2%) vs. just 14.1% for Peugeot (+5%). Citroen (-11%) worryingly falls to even lower market shares at just 7.5% this month, only 644 sales above Volkswagen (+15%). Mercedes also shoots up 15% to a splendid 6th place overall, outselling mass market players Toyota (+18%), Nissan (+14%) and Ford (-1%), as well as Audi (+19%) by over 3.000 units. It is however not enough for Mercedes to end 2016 at the #1 luxury spot, still held by Audi. Further down the ranking, Fiat (+30%), Kia (+26%), Suzuki (+49%), Skoda (+22%), Alfa Romeo (+30%) and Porsche (+100%) post very robust gains while among smaller brands Infiniti (+548%), Maserati (+337%) and Jaguar (+121%) deliver explosive growth.

nissan-micra-france-december-2016-picture-courtesy-largus-frThe Nissan Micra is up 69% year-on-year in December. Picture largus.fr

In the models ranking, both the Renault Clio (+14%) and Peugeot 208 (+10%) outpace the market and are followed by the Renault Captur (-13%). The Renault Mégane IV (+146%) finally outsells its Segment C rival the Peugeot 308 at 5.594 sales vs. 5.365 while the Renault Scénic IV shoots up 19 spots on November to land at #6, well above the Citroen C4 Picasso (#20). The Peugeot 3008 II holds strong at #7 with 2.6% of its home market. For the first time in many decades, there are no Citroens in the Top 15 this month, with the C3 transitioning between generations: the C3 II is down 30% to #16 and the C3 III is up one spot on November to #19. The VW Golf (+23%), Polo (-6%), Toyota Yaris (+13%) and VW Tiguan (+140%) are the best-selling foreign nameplates in France in December.

Toyota C-HR HybridThe Toyota C-HR already ranks inside the French Top 70. Picture largus.fr 

Notice also the Mercedes A-Class up 33% to #23, the Renaut Zoe up 21% to #24, Opel Mokka up 26% to #25, Nissan Micra up 69% to #30 thanks to the new model, Renault Talisman up 51% to #33, BMW X1 up 48% to #38, Mercedes GLC up 49% to #41 and the Hyundai i20 up 56% to #50. The Toyota C-HR is already a blockbuster for the brand, ranking #65 this month, the Audi Q2 breaks into the Top 100 at #91 and the Suzuki Ignis is up 108 spots on November to #152. In the private sales ranking, the Peugeot 208 surges 18% to #1 and clinches a last minute annual win off the Dacia Sandero, with the Renault Clio (-12%) in 2nd place and the Peugeot 2008 (+8%) rounding up the podium. The Citroen C3 is up 30% to #6 (both generations combined).

Previous month: France November 2016: New Peugeot 3008 soars to 7th place

One year ago: France December 2015: Renault and Dacia tank up on sales

Full December 2016 Top 42 brands, Top 300 models and Top 10 private sales below.

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France November 2016: New Peugeot 3008 soars to 7th place

peugeot-3008-france-november-2016-picture-courtesy-largus-frPeugeot 3008. Picture largus.fr

* NOW UPDATED with the Top 50 brands, Top 275 models & Top 10 private sales *

New car sales in France are back in positive territory in November with a vigorous 8.5% year-on-year improvement to 163.170 registrations, bringing the year-to-date tally up 5% to 1.820.814. However, these gains are once again almost exclusively the work of tactical channels with private sales up just 2.8%. If company sales are up 14.6%, the main boost this month is coming from – totally artificial – demo sales, up a whopping 43.4%. In fact, out of 12.836 overall incremental year-on-year sales in October, almost half (5.665) are demo sales.

Renault doubles the market growth with an impressive 17% gain to 33.297 registrations and 20.4% share, just above the 20% it commands year-to-date. Demo sales account for 22% of this total vs. just 8% last month and 14% year-to-date. All the while Peugeot underperforms with a meagre 1% gain to 26.721 units and 16.4% share vs. 16.9% so far this year, despite demo sales up 28%. Peugeot remains leader with private buyers at 13.340 sales (-4%) vs. 13.257 for Renault.

vw-tiguan-france-november-2016-picture-courtesy-largus-frThe VW Tiguan is up 106% on the previous generation in October 2015. Picture largus.fr

Citroen (-6%) continues to struggle with a slim 8.9% market share, its lowest so far in 2016, with private sales freefalling 17% and despite demo sales up 59% due to the new C3. Below Volkswagen (+1%), Dacia surges 60% to 4.9% share which is however still below its YTD level of 5.5%. Toyota gains 20% in 6th place, remaining above Ford (-4%) while in the luxury race Mercedes at 5.788 deliveries (+27%) overtakes Audi at 5.637 (+16%) while BMW at 5.017 (+3%) is shy. Notice also Jeep up 29%, Kia up 31%, Hyundai up 48%, Alfa Romeo up 49%, Jaguar up 108%, Maserati up 152% and Infiniti up 175%.

In the models ranking, the Renault Clio jumps up 35% year-on-year to 10.163 sales, almost 3.000 units above its rival the Peugeot 208 in difficulty at -7%. The Clio’s advantage over the 208 year-to-date now stretches to just under 10.000 units. The Renault Captur (+6%) climbs back past the Peugeot 308 (-5%) and Peugeot 2008 (-11%) while the Renault Mégane edges up one spot on October to #6 overall. The best performance of the month is once again the work of the new generation Peugeot 3008, now fully embracing its SUV status and flying up to 7th place overall thanks to 4.476 sales, way above its segment competitors the Renault Kadjar (3.168), Dacia Duster up 43% (2.912), VW Tiguan up 106% (2.445) and Nissan Qashqai (2.232). For reference, the first generation Peugeot 3008 has a personal best of #4 in France dating back to March 2013. Peugeot says it received 22.000 orders for the new 3008 since launch.

citroen-c3-france-november-2016-picture-courtesy-largus-frStill waiting to pounce: the new Citroen C3 (#20).

Among the other star French launches of the past few months, the Citroen C3 III drops back 3 spots to #20 and the Renault Scénic IV is up 8 to #25. Notice also the Dacia Sandero up 89%, the Toyota Yaris up 27%, the Ford Fiesta up 19%, Opel Mokka up 32% and the Renault Talisman (#23) taking its distance vs. its rival the Peugeot 508 (#29). Further down, the Fiat Tipo is lifted by the arrival of the station wagon, up 21 ranks to #43, the Seat Ateca is up 19 to #71, the Kia Niro up 34 to break into the Top 100, the Audi Q2 up 79 to #106, the Ford Ka+ ranks at #133, the Suzuki Ignis at #260 and the Ferrari GTC4Lusso at #274.

In the private sales ranking, the Peugeot 208 is #1 for the second month running despite dropping 17%, it distances the Renault Clio (+13%) and the Peugeot 2008 (-10%). The Renault Captur surges 21% while the Dacia Sandero is down to 5th place but shoots up 60% to 3.007 sales. The Sandero remains the overall best-seller with French private buyers so far in 2016 with only one month to go. If the low-cost hatch cements this leadership into an annual win – its advantage over the Peugeot 208 is 824 sales – this would be a historical win for Dacia as never before the brand has managed to place a nameplate in pole position. The Dacia Duster comes in at #7 year-to-date, and the Peugeot 3008 jumps 63% to rank #10 in November.

Previous month: France October 2016: New generation Peugeot 3008 above Duster and Kadjar

One year ago: France November 2015: Peugeot 208 on top in market artificially up 11%

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France October 2016: New gen Peugeot 3008 above Duster and Kadjar

peugeot-3008-renault-kadjar-france-september-2016-picture-courtesy-largus-frThe Peugeot 3008 II outsells the Renault Kadjar at home in October. 

* NOW UPDATED with the Top 45 brands, Top 275 models and Top 10 private sales *

The French new car market disappoints in October with a 4% year-on-year decline to 155.201 registrations, seasonally adjusted to a meagre 0.5% gain as this month had one less selling day than October 2015. However as it has been the case for most of this year, the “real” story (read private sales) is more sombre still. Demo sales, at +17% in August and +21% in September, had masked the downward trend but it is coming back with a bang. Both private and demo sales are down 8% and company sales slide down 0.6% in October. This means private sales represent 50.6% of the total market this month vs. 52.8% in October 2015 and 47.7% year-to-date, their lowest ever ratio in France. According to the CCFA, October orders don’t even show a “Paris Auto Show effect” at -0.8% year-on-year to 178.098. Year-to-date overall registrations are still up though at +4.7% to 1.657.651.

citroen-c3-france-september-2016-picture-courtesy-largus-frCitroen registered 2.175 demo sales for the new generation C3 in October. 

Market leader Renault has now firmly entrenched itself into a pattern of sales artificially boosted by tactical channels at the end of each quarter. As a result, it tumbles down 12% in October to just 17.9% market share vs. 20% year-to-date (+6%) and 17.5% for Peugeot, down 3%. That main culprit in Renault’s dismal performance is the 56% year-on-year imploding of demo sales while private sales follow the overall trend at -8%. Peugeot on the contrary benefits from a 66% surge of its demo sales thanks to the new generation 3008 (read below) for which 15.000 orders have already been taken. Peugeot drops 15% in the private segment though. As for Citroen, it falls slightly faster than the market at -5% but is back above the 10% share milestone after a three-month drought at 10.7%. This okay result hides a 23% plunge of its private sales, compensated by the demo sales activity of the new generation C3 (2.175 units).

audi-q2-france-september-2016-picture-courtesy-largus-frAudi received 700 orders for the Q2 so far in France. It lands at #185 for now.

Volkswagen (+5%), Dacia (+4%) and Toyota (+3%) follow. Fiat (+10%) and Mercedes (+12%) post the largest gains in the Top 10 but Audi (-0.4%) reclaims the #1 premium spot at #8 overall. Further down, Nissan (-19%), Seat (-24%) and DS (-25%) struggle. If most Volkswagen Group brands lose ground this month, it is mainly due to a very high comparison base a year ago when sales were boosted by demo models. October order gains are all in double-digit figures: +10% at Volkswagen, +15% at Skoda, +20% at Seat and +25% at Audi starting to feel the Q2 effect: 700 orders for the small SUV, landing at #185 with just under 100 sales in October. Further down the ranking, great performing brands include Volvo (+22%), Infiniti (+22%), Alfa Romeo (+35%), Maserati (+56%) and Jaguar (+63%).

peugeot-3008-france-september-2016-picture-courtesy-largus-frThe new Peugeot 3008 seems to have struck a chord at home.

Model-wise, the Renault Clio holds onto the pole position at 5.5% share vs. 5.1% for the Peugeot 208 with the 308 (3.7%) and 2008 (3.5%) making it three Peugeots in the Top 4 above the Renault Captur in freefall at -28%. The Renault Mégane IV is strong in 7th place above the Dacia Sandero (+16%) which drops to #3 in the private sales ranking below the Peugeot 208 and Renault Clio but remains in the lead year-to-date at 42.279 (+26%). The real hero of the month however is the new generation Peugeot 3008 shooting up 37 spots on September to land just outside the Top 10 at #11 with 2.868 sales. Even though 60% of this figure (1.728) are demo sales, this still outstandingly places it as the best-selling C-SUV in France above the Dacia Duster (2.355), Renault Kadjar (2.341) and VW Tiguan (2.200), the latter posting another stunning month at #17 and +72%. Looking further down, the Renault Scenic IV stays at #33 for now with 1.196 demo sales, the Mercedes GLC is up 10 spots on September to #56, the Fiat Tipo up 5 to #64, the Seat Ateca up 27 to #90, the Hyundai Ioniq up 107 to #148 and the Peugeot 5008 II also up 107 ranks to #158.

Previous month: France September 2016: Artificial 2.5% gain, VW Tiguan hits record

One year ago: France September 2015: Peugeot 208 #1, Renault Kadjar leads segment

Full October 2016 Top 45 brands, Top 275 models and Top 10 private sales below.

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France September 2016: Artificial 2.5% gain, VW Tiguan hits record

VW Tiguan France September 2016. Picture courtesy largus.frThe VW Tiguan smashes its ranking record in France this month to #15.

* NOW UPDATED with the Top 45 All-brands and Top 275 All-models – see title *

The September French new car market gives us another false sense of security: on paper, sales are up 2.5% year-on-year to 168.827 units, leading to a year-to-date tally up 6% to 1.502.457, but this in fact hides a much more depressed picture. Private sales are down 5% to 79.731 units and 47.2% share vs. 50.7% a year ago, now nudging up just 0.8% year-to-date to 712.000 and 47.4% share. According to Renault France Commercial Director Philippe Buros interviewed by local publication autoactu.com, this trend is likely to continue for the foreseeable future: “the period preceding French presidential elections is traditionally weak for new car sales”. Company sales are also slowing down this month at just +3% to 40.058 units vs. +11% and 339.727 year-to-date. In fact, and as it has been the case for most of 2015 and this year, the sole channels responsible for the overall market’s growth are artificial: demo sales gain 20.5% to 33.543, hitting 20% share vs. just 17% a year ago. Similarly, long term rentals are up 12% and account for 6% of the overall market in September.

Renault Megane France September 2016. Picture courtesy largus.fThe Renault Mégane IV is getting closer to the Peugeot 308 in September.

Brand-wise, market leader Renault outpaces the market with deliveries up 7% to 36.777 for a strong 21.8% share vs. 20.2% so far this year, largely due to demo sales up 83% to 7.925 with the arrival of the new generation Scénic. Archenemy Peugeot on the other hand drops 2% to 27.840 sales and 16.5% share, slightly below the 17% it commands year-to-date. Citroen continues to suffer greatly at -13.5% to a historically low 8.6% share vs. 9.9% in 2016, but the brand’s drop is a lot worse with private buyers at -34.5% due in large part to the generation changeover of the brand’s best-seller the C3 (private sales at -31%) which has been handicapped by an absence of end-of-life rebates. After a difficult summer (-22% in July and -19% in August), Volkswagen is on the mend with sales up a robust 10% and the Top 3 best-selling foreigners: the Polo at #10, the Golf at #13 and the Tiguan up a spectacular 86% thanks to the new generation to hit a record-breaking #15 (previous best: #19 in July, November and December 2012).

peugeot-2008-france-september-2016-picture-courtesy-largus-frThe Peugeot 2008 is up 17% thanks to its facelift.

Dacia once again deliveries the largest year-on-year gain in the Top 10 at +13% to 5.1% share, with private sales (+13%) accounting for 85% of its total just as Renault and Peugeot both drop 8% with this clientele. The Sandero, up another 33% in September, is overtaken by the Peugeot 208 in the private sales model ranking at 4.316 sales vs. 4.652 after 5 consecutive months of reign. Nissan is back up 6 spots on August to #6 overall but loses 7% of its September 2015 score, followed closely by Toyota (+9%), Ford (-10%) and Opel (+10%). Mercedes takes the lead of the luxury race this month thanks to deliveries up a solid 9% to 5.613, edging past BMW at 5.296 (-1%) and YTD leader Audi at 5.259 (+14%), Kia (+14%), Hyundai (+17%) and Suzuki (+19%) are the other double-digit gainers in the Top 20. Further down, impressive performers include Maserati (+33%), Jeep (+37%), Alfa Romeo (+40%), Infiniti (+45%), Land Rover (+48%), Jaguar (+79%) and Tesla (+112%).

renault-scenic-france-september-2016-picture-courtesy-largus-frNot yet launched to the public, the Renault Scenic IV ranks #32 based solely on demo sales.

The Renault Clio reclaims the top of the models ranking, following the market at +3% to 9.024 vs. 8.728 (-4%) for the Peugeot 208. The Renault Captur (-2%) edges past the Peugeot 308 (-4%) while the Peugeot 2008 surges 17% to #5 thanks to its facelift. The Renault Mégane IV steps up to #6 only 717 sales below the 308 but the Renault Talisman (#22) has taken a frank advantage over the Peugeot 508 (#29) now that the station wagon has well and truly hit dealerships. A handful of French new gen blockbusters are flexing their muscles with demo sales this month: the Renault Scénic lands at #32, the Peugeot 3008 ranks at #58, the Citroen C3 at #159 and the Peugeot 5008 at #265. Among recent launches (<12 months), let’s notice the Mercedes GLC at #66, the Fiat Tipo at #69, the Seat Ateca up 59 spots on August to #117, the Citroen C-Elysee up 9 to #119, the Alfa Romeo Giulia up 68 to #124 and the Jaguar F-Pace up 26 to #131. We also welcome the Volvo V90 at #202 and the Hyundai Ioniq at #255.

Previous month: France August 2016: Dacia, Mercedes, tactical sales lift market up 7%

One year ago: France September 2015: Peugeot 208 #1, Renault Kadjar leads segment

Full September 2016 Top 45 All-brands and Top 275 models below.

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France August 2016: Dacia, Mercedes, tactical sales lift market up 7%

Dacia Sandero France August 2016. Picture courtesy of largus.frThe Dacia Sandero outsells the Renault Clio 2 to 1 with private buyers in August.

* NOW UPDATED with the Top 50 All-brands, Top 270 models and Top 10 private sales *

After dropping 10% in July, the French new car market is back in positive territory in August at +7% to 98.217 registrations, in fact a seasonally adjusted 1.9% increase (daily rate). Year-to-date, deliveries are up 6% to 1.333.636 units. If the first half of the year was characterised by a rather artificial growth triggered by tactical sales, the summer months haven’t been truly positive either. August’s small increase – when dealing with the same number of working days – has once again nothing to do with private sales, up just 3.5% but down 1.2% seasonally adjusted, and accounting for 50% of the total market in August, their lowest ever ratio for the month. Company sales remain the main engine of growth in France, at +8% to 24.133 or 24.5% share in August. Local publication autoactu.com notes: “This accelerating transfer from private to company sales isn’t the result of a misattribution of long-term lease to companies. If the end-buyer of the car is a private person, the sale is counted as private even if the financing is a long-term lease with or without purchase option (LOA or LLD in French).

Citroen C3 France August 2016. Picture courtesy Copyright William Crozes @ Continental ProdutionsCitroen private sales are down a harsh 20% in August – waiting for the new C3? 

Another resilient unhealthy aspect of the French market is the sharp increase of stock registrations – or self-registrations, the practice of registering a car to the manufacturer or dealer to then sell it as a “zero km” used car. Demo dealer sales are up 17% to 14.062 and manufacturer sales are up 12% to 3.578. Combined, this channel is the one gaining the most ground in August at +16%, accounting for an astounding 18% of the total market. The main culprits of this type of practice this month are Citroen (+54%) – meaning its overall paltry performance (see below) would have been disastrous without self-registrations, Peugeot (+30%), Opel (+56%), Kia (+40%) and Fiat (+61%). Jacques Rivoal, Volkswagen Group France president quoted by Autoactu.com, summarises the situation rather well: “The market is uncertain. After an uncharacteristically good first half, July and August were disappointing and sales remain very tactical – this is definitely not a frank restart.”

Peugeot 2008 France August 2016. Picture courtesy largus.frThe Peugeot 2008 is boosted up 46% by its facelift and ends August above the Renault Captur.

Renault (+6.6%) is back to the brands pole position it holds year-to-date with 16.642 sales, edging past Peugeot (+6.7%) at 16.261. Very sensitive to quarter ends when it fills its data sheet with tactical sales to meet targets, Renault however retains a 40.000 unit-advantage so far in 2016 at 266.862 sales and 20% vs. 226.842 and 17% for Peugeot. Citroen is once again in difficulty at -6% and remains below the symbolic 10% market share barrier for the third consecutive month at 9.6% after 9.9% in June and July. Tactical sales up 54% have failed to compensate freefalling private sales down 20% year-on-year. The new generation C3 – landing in the August charts at #125 thanks to demo sales – couldn’t come quickly enough. Volkswagen for its part is tumbling down 19% on a very high August 2015 score (9.2% share) to 6.875 and 7%.

VW is now threatened by Dacia for the overall 4th spot: the low-cost access brand continues to build an implacable success in France. Its sales surge another 38% this month to 6.399 and 6.5% share of the overall market, its highest so far in 2016. In the private sales channel, Dacia has taken a considerable advantage over Citroen, holding a stunning 11.5% share this month vs. just 8.75% for Citroen, even starting to nudge market leaders Renault (14.1%) and Peugeot (13.7%). This feat enables Dacia to overtake Citroen in the YTD ranking also to rank #3 at 10.21% share vs. 10.14% while Renault (17.45%) and Peugeot (15.26%) remain leaders.

Mercedes A Class France August 2016. Picture courtesy largus.frMercedes sales are up 43% year-on-year to rank #1 premium above Audi and BMW.

Further down in the overall ranking, Toyota impresses at +12% in 6th place while Mercedes soars 43% to overtake Audi in the premium race at 3.723 sales vs. 3.703 (+7%), BMW arriving third at 3.501 (+9%). Opel (+6%) is kept outside the Top 10 by the three German premium brands, Nissan and DS implode (both at -20%) but Fiat (+18%), Kia (+16%), Mini (+24%) and Hyundai (+28%) all outpace the market. Further down, Jeep (+82%), Smart (+33%), Land Rover (+60%), Jaguar (+127%), Infiniti (+163%) and Maserati (+264%) all lodge spectacular scores.

Model-wise, the Peugeot 208 and Clio have now been #1 each for 6 out of the past 12 months. The 208 indeeds leads the way for the 2nd time in a row thanks to sales up 11% vs. a paltry -22% for the Clio in the midst of a changeover with the facelifted model. The 208 is boosted by a long-term lease promotion at 149€/month incl. maintenance on the Style trim accounting for 20-25% of the nameplate’s volume for the month. However a 2016 top spot for 208 still seems out of reach as it trails the Clio 65.999 vs. 71.760 so far. The Dacia Sandero is the gift that keeps giving, posting none other than the largest gain in the Top 30 at +65% to 3.627 units and 3.7% share, and stopping just 8 sales short off the Peugeot 308 (-2%) for a podium ranking. It also ranks #1 in the private sales channels as we detail further down.

Maserati Levante France August 2016The Levante pushes Maserati sales up 264% year-on-year in August. 

The Peugeot 2008 also signs an impressive month at +46% to 3.132 thanks to its facelift, overstepping its archenemy the Renault Captur at 2.917 (+7%). The Renault Mégane IV is still far off the segment leader the Peugeot 308 at 2% share vs. 3.7% in August, while the Renault Scénic III is discounted up 23% to #10 just as the 4th generation arrives in dealerships. The VW Polo (-20%), Toyota Yaris (-1%) and VW Golf (-26%) are the only foreigners in the Top 15, the Ford Fiesta is up 24% to #17, the Citroen C4 Cactus up 7 spots on July to #19, the Renault Talisman is up 6 to #28 and the BMW X1 is up 22 to #33 with 765 sales vs. just 11 for the previous generation a year ago. Other great performers include the Toyota RAV4 up 84% to #38, the Mercedes C-Class up 63% to #43 and the Dacia Lodgy up 70% to #53.

peugeot-3008-france-august-2016-picture-courtesy-autoplus-frThe new gen Peugeot 3008 has been spotted all across France over summer. It ranks #58 in August.

The new generation Peugeot 3008 makes its first appearance in the ranking at #58 with 460 demo sales, the new SUV has been spotted by numerous Auto Plus readers all throughout summer and these are the cars people spotted. The new gen Citroen C3 also appears at #125 with 140 demos. These two nameplates will launch in the coming months to the public. Further down, we welcome another three new nameplates: the Fiat Talento at #233, the Volvo S90 at #237 and the Tesla Model X at #261. Among other recent launches, the Fiat Tipo is up 8 spots on last month to #56, the Mercedes GLC up 3 to #63, the Citroen C-Elysée up 23 to #128, the Kia Niro up 8 to #131, the Fiat 124 Spider up 53 to #187 and the Maserati Levante up to #224 but the Jaguar F-Pace is down 15, the Seat Ateca down 47, the Infiniti Q30 down 92, Alfa Romeo Giulia down 34 and Citroen E-Mehari down 35.

Dacia Logo France August 2016Only Renault and Peugeot outsell Dacia with French private buyers so far in 2016. 

France Private sales 

Less than a month before its facelift is unveiled at the Paris Auto Show, the Dacia Sandero has taken an insurmountable advantage in the private sales models ranking with sales up 67% year-on-year to 3.331 units and 6.8% share in August vs. 2.609 and 5.34% for the Peugeot 208 (+18%) and just 1.467 and 3% for the Renault Clio (-18%). Yes you have read right, this month the Sandero outsells the Clio 2.27 to 1 with private buyers. The Clio is also outsold by the Renault Captur (+12%) and Peugeot 2008 (+43%), while the Dacia Duster lurks less than 100 private sales below in 6th place… The Toyota Yaris (#9) and Renault Twingo (#10) dislodge the Peugeot 308 and VW Golf from the Top 10.

Previous month: France July 2016: Peugeot #1, Dacia and Mercedes shine, market at -10%

One year ago: France August 2015: Renault and Clio reclaim control

Full August 2016 Top 50 All-brands, Top 270 models & Top 10 private sales below.

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