Sales of new cars in France fell significantly in 2024 compared to the previous year, with 1,718,416 registrations, a decrease of 3.2%, due in particular to the uncertainty linked to the political context.
Sales of new electric vehicles also decreased (-2.2%) and their market share remained stable at 16.9%, after three years of explosion, while the sales share of new hybrid vehicles increased significantly to reach 42.8%, according to published figures. this Wednesday by the Automotive Platform (PFA).
Sales fall in the second half
The market has not returned to the very low levels of 2022, a year paralyzed by the shortage of electronic chips, but it is still far from the levels before the Covid pandemic. In 2019, the last year before the coronavirus crisis, around 2.2 million new vehicles were sold.
However, 2024 started well for the French car industry, with new vehicle sales recording a 4.9% increase at the end of May, before plummeting during the second half of the year.
“These are quite important measures, which involve purchases, and the context of political uncertainty has not helped,” observed Marc Mortureux, director general of the PFA, which represents manufacturers and large equipment suppliers in the automotive sector.
The R5 is hot on the heels of the Tesla Model Y, Toyota advances
Regarding engines, in 2024 around 5,400 fewer electric vehicles were sold than in 2023, after several years of strong growth in this type of automobile and despite the implementation of social electric leasing.
“It is a huge problem (…) because to meet the 2025 targets, we will have to sell many more electric vehicles,” explained Marc Mortureux. According to him, if manufacturers want to adapt to the European regulations on CO2 emissions, called CAFE, the share of sales of electric vehicles must reach 22% in 2025, compared to just 17% currently. “The jump is very important,” he said.
Buyers could be held back by the reduction in purchase premiums (from 4,000 to 2,000 euros for households with a reference tax income greater than 26,200 euros per unit), decided by the Barnier Government in a context of budgetary rigor.
However, some new models are selling well, such as the electric R5, which “follows the Tesla Model Y” in number of copies sold, Marc Mortureux is pleased. On the manufacturers’ side, Stellantis continues to lose market share, Renault remains firm and Toyota makes progress, even including two models among the ten best-selling vehicles in France in 2024.
Source: BFM TV
