A heavy debt from the State towards the concessionaires. The social leasing system for electric cars has been very successful among French motorists, to the point of being suspended in 50,000 orders by 2024. In order to be able to offer an electric car for less than 150 euros per month, the State contributes 13,000 euros to each file. However, this sum is advanced by resellers, who must then claim a refund. But for now, the wheels have stuck: distributors have not yet seen the color of money.
Currently, the State owes more than 100 million euros to the concessionaires (140 million euros according to the Mobilians union). The online platform in which concessionaires register social leasing files, but also the ecological bonus that works on the same model, is not yet open. Its opening has continued to be postponed. The Stellantis group, whose brands (Peugeot, Fiat, Citroën and even Opel) assumed 70% of orders for electric cars under social leasing, is especially exposed.
“We sold 180 cars, we delivered around a hundred and the State owes us 1.3 million euros,” laments Fabrice Picard, dealer and president of the Picard Autos group, in statements to BFMTV.
Normally, the Services and Payments Agency (ASP) reimburses the advance aid by the concessionaires a few weeks later. Every year, the ASP platform usually becomes unusable during the first two months, the time to integrate the annual updates, according to Les Échos. But this year, the State delayed the publication of the new amount of the ecological bonus until mid-February. Enough to delay the update of the reimbursement platform, which will also have to integrate the creation of new social leases.
“They need to solve the problem.”
The opening of the platform is now promised for the end of May. “We will all be on the starting blocks to seize the files and recover our money,” says Fabrice Picard. In its Peugeot dealerships in the Southwest, the 208 models and the 2008 social leasing electric models are coming out at high speed “except that entering the files does not mean payment. And there, payment, we still don’t know when.” It will come,” he worries. All the investments planned by the Toulouse businessman are delayed and he also has to make his banker wait.
“It is necessary to resolve the problem very quickly,” says Fabrice Picard in statements to the Ministry of Economy. Otherwise “we are going to strike for payments, payment of salary charges, social security charges, VAT,” he says.
Given the situation of the State, some dealers today refuse to deliver electric vehicles on social leasing without having received the expected sums. Other merchants claim that they are even forced to apply for bank loans to maintain their activity.
Source: BFM TV
