French Brands Post Double-Digit Losses in January

PARIS – French car deliveries slid 15% in January to 124,952 units with most auto makers losing volume, but Renault saw some relatively good news in sales of the new Clio IV.

Renault-brand deliveries were down only 12%, according to the CCFA industry association, meaning it regained some share. The Dacia brand was up 9.9%, boosted by the new Sandero launched in November, leaving the group with a 7.4% decline last month.

“In this damaged market, we are pleased with our January results,” says Bernard Cambier, sales director in France. He says he had expected Renault to continue reclaiming market share, noting the Clio IV’s station wagon and Renault Sport versions are due in March.

PSA Peugeot Citroen helped drag the car market down, with Peugeot off 16.1% in January from a year earlier and Citroen dropping 17.4%.

Thanks to the relative strength of Renault, French brands fell only 12.9% and managed to outperform most imports.

Volkswagen, the strongest European volume brand in recent years, saw sales tumble 23.6%, with Ford plunging 35.5% and Opel off 18.3%.

Fiat offered a surprise, losing just 2.7% last month. The Italian auto maker’s line of small cars was led by the 500, which sold 1,896 units, but the new Panda, with 744, helped boost the score.

Few import brands exceeded prior-year results, and most of those that did were small with the exception of Dacia, which held 6% of the French market.

The big Japanese brands saw mixed results, with Nissan sliding 15.7% and Toyota off 1.9%. The German luxury brands also struggled last month, with Audi tumbling 26.1%; BMW, 2.3%; and Mercedes, 2%.

Hyundai deliveries surged 41.7% to 1,856 units, and Lexus sales climbed 24.7%, albeit to just 217.

The Renault Clio was France’s top-selling car in January, with 8,900 units for a 7.1% of the market. The Renault Megane was second and the Dacia Sandero placed sixth. VW had two vehicles in the top 10, the Polo and Golf, while the remainder were from PSA.

Segment sales reflected the dour economy in France.

Cars in the A and B segment, which include the Fiats and Renault’s new Clio, held 53% of the French market in January, the same as year-ago. The C-segment, led by the Megane, saw its share rise to 32% from 30% prior-year, while larger and luxury segments lost share.

A reversal in the trend toward large cars also showed up in body-style distribution. Hatchbacks and sedans accounted for 61% of sales, up 2 points, while station wagons, SUVs and fullsize minivans all lost share.

The French market is among Europe’s most fuel-efficient, behind only Denmark, Portugal and Holland. In January, 35.2% of the new cars sold emitted less than 106 g/km of carbon-dioxide, more than twice the 16.6% share taken the prior year. The equivalent of 106 g/km for a diesel engine is 59 mpg (4.0 L/100 km), and for gasoline, 53 mpg (4.3 L/100 km).