French November sales fall 27% as prior deliveries lessen lockdown losses

PARIS -- New-car registrations in France fell by 27 percent in November compared with the same month in 2019, with deliveries of previously ordered vehicles helping to offset the closing of showrooms due to lockdowns imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

There were 126,048 registrations for the month, industry group CCFA said, with 20 selling days -- although showrooms were open to the public only for the final three days of November.  

For the year, the market is down by 27 percent, with most of the sales lost during COVID-19 lockdowns in March, April and part of May. 

"This time, losses were relatively limited by the possibility of delivering cars already ordered and by the extension of government incentives," the information company AAA Data said. Some analysts had forecast that sales could fall by 70 percent.

A spokesman for CCFA said sales for the year were still expected to fall 25 percent to 30 percent, but likely at the lower end of that range. "There are still some uncertainties around December," he told Reuters. "But the catastrophic scenario of a 30 percent fall is no longer on the table."

Only three brands managed positive results in November: Smart's registrations were up 30 percent, although at a very low volume; Land Rover rose by 15 percent; and Mini was up 1 percent.

Among French groups, PSA sales fell by 23 percent, with upscale brand DS down by just 1 percent, Peugeot brand was down 20 percent, Citroen dipped 33 percent and Opel fell 22 percent.

Renault Group sales dropped more sharply, with a decline of 34 percent. Renault brand was down 35 percent and Dacia slipped 32 percent.

Volkswagen Group sales fell 25 percent. VW brand was down 23 percent, Audi fell by 14 percent, Skoda by 23 percent and Seat by 46 percent.

Ford sales dropped 42 percent, and Fiat lost 38 percent.

Among other premium brands, BMW lost 30 percent, Mercedes-Benz sales fell by 19 percent and Volvo was down 16 percent.

Kia led Asian brands with a decline of 7.6 percent, 20 percentage points better than the overall market. In contrast, sales at sibling brand Hyundai fell sharply, by 56 percent. Toyota sales dipped 11 percent; Nissan sales dropped by 39 percent and Suzuki was down by 21 percent. 

Average CO2 emissions fell to 93 grams per kilometer, a yearly low, from 110 g/km in November 2019. 

According to AAA Data, alternative-fuel vehicles made up 27 percent of sales in November, with 9,600 full-electric sales and 23,575 hybrids.

Hybrid powertrains (full hybrids and plug-in hybrids) made up 14 percent of the market through November, compared with 5.6 percent in 2019. Full-electric vehicles accounted for 6.2 percent of the market, compared with 1.9 percent in 2019. 

Liquefied petroleum gas powertrains, a major focus of Dacia, increased market share from 0.1 percent in November 2019 to 1 percent, for a monthly volume of 1,000 vehicles, AAA Data said.