The shake of the new anti-pollution regulations has been absorbed. According to figures published on Tuesday, the French car market jumped 16.6% in September over one year, correcting its fall in September 2018 caused by the entry into force of a new vehicle certification standard.
Last month, the registrations of the Renault group (Dacia and Alpine brands included) soared 21.8%, but they dropped by 17.8% in September 2018, according to the data of the Committee of French manufacturers of automobiles (CCFA). Deliveries by PSA (Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Opel, Vauxhall) progressed more modestly (+ 8.4%). But they had not suffered last year, the group having anticipated better than its competitors the hardening of anti-pollution rules .
After the announcement of these results, the share of Renault gained 1.12% at the opening of the Paris Bourse on Tuesday, while the PSA title took 0.96%.
A shaken market
In the first nine months of 2019, more than 1.64 million new passenger cars were put on the roads of France, a modest decline of 1.28% year on year. The CCFA had forecast a “stable” market at a high level of about 2.1 million vehicles over the year. Tuesday morning, he must update his forecast after three quarters.
The car market figures have been shaken up since the introduction of a new European anti-pollution standard in September 2018, making their analysis particularly complex. In August of last year, deliveries had indeed gone up, many builders having spent their stocks urgently, knowing that they were unable to register part of their range at maturity. The following months, in particular September, had been negatively affected, with unusually low registration figures.
Big bounce of Volkswagen
The Renault group, which had suffered particularly in the autumn of 2018, has therefore logically recovered last month. The diamond brand (+ 29.8%) also fared better than its low cost label Dacia (-2.3%), which had not been affected by the new WLTP standard.
PSA continued to grow robustly. It was shot in September by Citroën (+ 18.8%), whose rejuvenated range with the new models of city C3 and SUV C3 Aircross and C5 Aircross seems to seduce. The DS high-end aspirations label has taken off (+ 30.9%) thanks to the launch of the DS3 Crossback compact SUV. Peugeot (+ 3.2%) and Opel (+ 1.3%) advanced more modestly.
The Volkswagen group, which was one of the biggest losers this year, has recovered dramatically in September. The eponymous brand surged 46.9%, benefiting from both a very favorable comparison base and the success of its urban T-Roc SUV. Overall, all of the German group’s brands followed suit: Audi (+ 27.1%), Skoda (+ 55.6%), Seat (+ 71.5%) and Porsche (+ 192%).
AFP Source