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France September 2021: Market dives -20.5%, Renault Arkana breaks into Top 10, Dacia Spring up to #15

The Renault Arkana is up to #7 overall in France in September. Picture largus.fr

11/10 update: Now with Top 295 All-models.

New car sales in France accelerate their fall in September at -20.5% year-on-year to just 133.835 units vs. -15% in August, marking a fourth consecutive month of double-digit declines. The year-to-date tally see its growth lower to +8% at 1.260.378 units. Note the 9 months 2021 volume is down a drastic -23.2% on the same period in pre-pandemic 2019 (vs. 1.641.367). We have downgraded our 2021 Forecast for France from 1.73m to 1.70m units (+3%). In September, Private sales are off -22% year-on-year to 44.4% share and are now down year-to-date as well at -2.9% to 42.5% share, a historically low figure. Long term leases are down -22.9%, company sales down -18.1%, short term rentals off -19% to 5% share and demo sales down -21.2% to 19.7% share.

In September, petrol sales drop -32.3% to 50.973 and 38.1% vs. 44.7% in September 2020, diesel implodes -56% to 23.543 and 17.6% share vs. 31.8% a year ago, but HEV gains 35.7% to 24.838 and 18.6% share vs. 10.9% in 2020,  BEV shoots up 69.7% to 16.984 and 12.7% share vs. 5.9% in 2020 and PHEV leaps up 50.5% to 11.797 and 8.8% share vs. 4.7% a year ago. Year-to-date, petrol is off -8.8% to 522.263 and 41.4% share vs. 49.1% over the same period in 2020, diesel is down -23.7% to 276.449 and 21.9% share vs. 31% a year ago, HEV soars 96.3% to 215.433 and 17.1% share vs. 9.4% in 2020, BEV is up 51.6% to 106.930 and 8.5% share vs. 6% a year ago and PHEV is up 152.7% to 101.827 and 8.1% share vs. 3.5% last year.

The Dacia Spring has its break this month: up to #15.

Renault (-20.6%) matches the market to repeat at #1 in the French brands ranking with 18.2% share, well above its YTD level of 16.1% as is the custom for the carmaker in end-of-quarter months. Peugeot (-35.8%) drops much faster than the market to 15.5% share but remains the year-to-date leader at 17.3% share with a comfortable 15.000-unit margin. Citroen (-17%) improves its share to 10.4% vs. 9.8% so far this year. Dacia (-3.4%) posts the best hold near the top of the ranking and stays at a historically high market share at 8.9% like last month. Volkswagen (-20.6%) and Toyota (-29.6%) follow, the latter ending a run of good form as the microchip crisis bites. Audi (+2.2%) is up one spot on August to #7 and is the best-ranked gainer year-on-year, distancing Hyundai (+31.1%) up two ranks to #8 and Kia (+13.9%) up three to #9. Tesla (+157.5%) is down four spots on last month to #13, with MG (+258.1%), Alpine (+225%), Land Rover (+28.4%), DS (+17.6%) and Jeep (+0.4%) also in positive for the month. Among Chinese EVmakers, Lynk & Co is up two ranks on last month to #35 and Aiways is down one to #37.

Model-wise, the Renault Clio V (+4.3%) reclaims the top spot for the first time since last May, beating its archenemy the Peugeot 208 II (-20.8%) by 618 units. The 208 remains in the year-to-date lead with a 2.509-unit advantage. Leader for the past three months, the Dacia Sandero III drops to third place in September, just 1 unit below the Peugeot 208. The Citroen C3 (+1.5%) remains in 4th place with a strong 5% share vs. 3.9% so far this year, while the Peugeot 2008 II (-25.5%) and Renault Captur II (-25.9%) follow but both struggle. After missing out on a first Top 10 finish for just 17 sales in August, this month the Renault Arkana is up four ranks to break into the Top 10 at #7: a great welcome for the first French coupe-SUV. It even distances the Peugeot 3008 (-38.1%) hit hard by the microchip crisis. The Tesla Model 3 (+161.6%) is down two spots on August to lodge a second straight Top 10 finish at #9, once again the best-selling foreign model in France. In the foreign charts, it distances the Fiat 500 (+18.7%), Toyota Yaris (+8.3%) and Hyundai Tucson (+167.6%). The Renault Zoe is up three ranks to #13 while like in Italy the Dacia Spring finally has its break: up a whopping 83 spots on August to a record #15, eclipsing its previous best of #25 it hit in artificially-boosted December 2020.

Previous month: France August 2021: Market down -15%, Sandero 3peats at #1, Model 3 up to #7, Arkana #11

One year ago: France September 2020: Peugeot 208 II, 2008 II and Dacia Sandero keep Clio V outside podium, volumes down -3%

Full September 2021 Top 55 All-brands and Top 295 All-models below.

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