"This is another month of decline with no prospect of improvement, which is projecting the market towards a very poor performance in 2022," announced Julien Billon, CEO of AAA Data, quoted by Auto Infos. In 2025, car sales in France are falling, and could show, by the end of the year, a score comparable to 2022. This is very bad news, since three years ago, the market recorded its worst performance in terms of volume since... 1974.
According to the final figures from AAA Data, the month of May resulted in a drop of 12.3%, to 123,919 registrations. Due to this poor performance, projections now converge towards a total volume of around 1.5 million vehicles during the year, knowing that 2022 ended with 1.529 million new cars registered. Since the beginning of the year, the decrease is 13.5%.
Disinterest from individuals
In parallel with the decline in new car sales, the used market would naturally gain ground. And this is not for nothing. The decline in sales on the new car market is mainly reflected in a disinterest from individual buyers. The market share of passenger vehicles (PCs) in sales is now only 40% (a mix that should have been reached by 2027 at the earliest).
Companies continue to buy electric cars, which is clearly not the case for individuals. On the one hand, fleets recorded a 15% increase in EV (electric vehicle) registrations in May in France, for a mix of 19% of their purchases. On the other hand, individuals are turning their backs on them. The decline reached 58% over the last month, at the same time as MPs voted to abolish low-emission zones (LEZs) in French cities.
Electric cars now represent only 16% of the market, and their sales decline in May reached 19%, across all buyers, whether private individuals or professionals.
Brand ranking
If we now look at the manufacturers, Renault maintains its position at the top of the market, with 17.96% of sales (despite a 17% drop in EV sales), followed by Peugeot (15.07%), and Dacia (9.61%). Citroën manages to maintain a lead over Volkswagen, at 7.39% and 7.11% respectively. Finally, Toyota takes sixth place with 5.84%, remaining very discreet about electric cars and continuing to want to prioritize hybrids. Among the worst results was Tesla, with sales down 69% over the month.
Hybrids were the only engine to see sales increase during the month of May, according to AAA Data, with a 30% increase. This is a delicate situation, since plug-in hybrids are in the spotlight across Europe. Fortunately, conventional hybrids and mild hybrids are not affected, and their sales are also increasing. Car manufacturers will also be exempt from the strictest European anti-pollution law, the CAFE regulation, which Brussels has postponed until 2027.
Source: Auto Infos
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