France 1930-1934: Great depression stops sales growth

1933 Citroen Rosalie

* See the 1930-1934 annual sales volume by clicking on the title! *

1930 is the date of the oldest official annual new car sales figures for France made available by L’Argus. At the time a total of 285,461 new vehicles found a buyer, including 239,530 private cars, which should be a record. However the great depression cut one third of the market in 1931, down 34% to 188,402 units, before losing another 13% in 1932 and stabilising around 177,000 units in 1933 and 1934. No brand data is available for the period, but Citroen should be the dominant manufacturer judging by sales data around the same time for French colonies. The French manufacturer launched two very important models during this time: in 1933 the Rosalie, the first private car with a diesel engine in the world, and in 1934 the legendary Traction Avant…

Full Year 1930 to 1934 annual volumes below.