DS5 LS. The DS brand is separate from Citroen in China. * Check out Part One of this Special Report on French manufacturers here * This is Part 2 of my special feature on the future of French manufacturers. You can see Part 1 here. After evaluating both French manufacturers…
Renault 4 La Parisienne * Discover 50 French Historical Data articles spanning the last 65 years here * Today we inaugurate a new series on BestSellingCarsBlog: This was years ago…. Where I focus on one year in one country and reflect on the changes that have affected that specific market…
1959 Pontiac Catalina * See the Full Article by clicking on the title! (and enjoy) * Over the last 2 years I have been writing this blog and the last 25 years I have been fascinated by car sales around the globe, there has been a few things I haven't got…
The VW Beetle is the best-selling vehicle in Belgium in 1957. Thanks to one of our readers Christian Prabel, we can shed some light on the Belgian new car market at the end of the 1950s and the start of the 1960s with an exclusive Top 15 models for 1957…
Moskvitsh is the most popular brand in Finland for four consecutive years. * See the Top 65 All-brands ranking by clicking on the title * After a freak year in 1958, 1959 marks the return of Moskvitsh atop the Finnish brands ranking with 16.8% of a market up 49.8% to…
A record 396.000 Renault Dauphine are produced in France in 1959. 1959 puts an end to 5 consecutive record years with new locally-produced vehicle sales down 5.9% to 680.666 units. Imports are up 38.1% to 13.704 including 6.887 from Germany, 3.597 from Italy, 1.568 from the UK and 1.218 from…
The Citroen 2 CV becomes the 2nd nameplate after the Renault Dauphine to sell above 100.000 annual units at home. The French new vehicle market celebrates a 5th consecutive all-time record year in 1958 thanks to sales up 8.3% to 723.177 locally-produced units including commercial vehicles. Imports are up 4.3%…
The Renault Dauphine is #1 in France in 1957. New sales of locally-produced vehicles in France gain 6.2% year-on-year in 1957 to 667.929 units including commercial vehicles. Imports are down -15% to 9.507 units including 4.234 from Germany, 2.035 from the US, 1.756 from the UK and 1.003 from Italy.…
The Simca Aronde is the best-selling vehicle in France in 1956. The French new car market is up by the double-digit for the third straight year in 1956 at +13.6% to a new all-time record 629.164 deliveries including commercial vehicles. Imports on the other hand edge up just 3.4% to…
The Citroen DS 19 is launched in October 1955. It's a second consecutive year of double-digit gains in France in 1955 with new car sales up 20.9% to 554.020 units including commercial vehicles. It is the first time in French history that the annual volume crosses the half-million mark. Imports add…
The Simca 9 Aronde is up 47.3% to #2 in France in 1954. The new car market in France jumps up 17.9% year-on-year in 1954 to 458.198 units including commercial vehicles, a new all-time record. Renault (+19.1%) can breathe a little easier as it widens the gap with #2 Citroen…
The Renault Fregate is up to #6 in France in 1953. After growing leaps and bounds since the end of World War II, the French new car market takes a breather in 1953, edging down -0.6% to 379.171 registrations, including 283.887 passenger cars (-0.8%), 93.475 light and medium commercials (-0.3%) and…
The Peugeot 203 ranks #2 in France in 1951. 21/07/2019 update: Now with the Top 101 All-models for 1951. The French new passenger car and light commercial vehicle market gains a sturdy 36.3% year-on-year in 1951 to surpass 200.000 annual units for the first time since 1938 at 235.947. Imports…
The Citroen 2CV is unveiled at the 1948 Paris Auto Show. * See the Top 24 brands production ranking and Top 10 brands sales ranking by clicking on the title * Finally a frank year of growth for the new car market in France: up 64% overall to 120.557 registrations,…
Renault Juvaquatre (pre-war model shown) * See the Top 24 best-selling models and Top 23 brands by clicking on the title! * In 1947 like in 1946, the large majority of vehicles produced in France were exported, as French consumers simply did not have the means (yet) to purchase a…