After a 3.2% drop in 2024, the French market should experience a small growth in 2025
- French market:
• The French passenger car market represented 1,718,449 passenger cars (PC) in 2024 (official 12-month figures) compared to 1,774,772 in 2023, down 3.2%. The Stellantis and Renault groups occupy half of the market in equal shares.
• BEV sales fell by 6% in 2024 compared to 2023 (291,143 sales compared to 298,525 in 2023), which can be attributed to several factors: an overall drop in demand in France, the end of the first wave of "early adopter" buyers, the expectation of the launch of more affordable vehicles (Renault 5/4, Citroën e-C3, Fiat Panda, etc.) and to a lesser extent the reduction in subsidies from December 2. The share of BEVs in the passenger car market has nevertheless remained stable (16.9%)
• For 2025, the French market is expected to grow modestly, to around 1.75 million passenger cars (+1.8%). Demand is expected to be driven by the cyclical renewal of old cars or end of leasing period for professional buyers and by the development of new, more accessible models, particularly with electric engines. However, both political and economic uncertainty (especially for professional buyers) could slow down the expected growth.
- Production:
• France's production volume is expected to reach just under 850,000 passenger cars in 2024 (latest estimates calculated from the first 11 months), compared to 866,614 in 2023, which represents a decrease of 2%. The difference can be attributed to the lower volumes of models awaiting renewal, in particular the Peugeot 5008, Citroën C5 Aircross, Opel Mokka, or which are not meeting with the expected success such as the Peugeot 308, Renault Mégane BEV and Renault Scénic BEV. For BEVs, a little less than 130,000 passenger vehicles were produced in France according to Inovev's estimates.
• For 2025, Inovev forecasts 983,399 passenger cars produced in France, representing a 15% increase from one year to the next. This increase in production is mainly explained by the ramp-up of the Renault 5 BEV, Renault Scénic BEV, Renault 4 BEV, Peugeot 3008 and Peugeot 5008. The volume increase of the models mentioned will mechanically contribute to an increase in BEV production in France in 2025.