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Summary of our market study
The French market for new and used cars is worth around €140 billion.
In 2023, the French car market will total 1.8 million vehicles, close to the 1975 figure.
The used vehicle market has held up well, with sales declining by just 4.5% from 2019, then rising by 8.2% between 2020 and 2021.
The electric vehicle segment has seen a sharp rise, with sales in France increasing by around 160% from 2019 to 2020, and by 46% in 2021. This trend is supported by the European Parliament's decision to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles in 2035.
The French market has managed to recover slightly in 2021, but is still struggling to return to pre-crisis levels.
The changing landscape of the French automotive market
The French automotive market continues to be dominated by domestic manufacturers, with a notable increase in the adoption of hybrid and electric vehicles.
After a sharp fall in 2020 due to the health crisis, there was a slight rebound, but sales remained below pre-crisis levels.
Used car sales account for around 80% of total car sales.
The European Parliament has voted to ban the sale of gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles by 2035.
Electric and hybrid vehicles are expected to conquer almost a third of the market by 2025.
Despite a strong inclination towards electric options, customers are hesitant due to the limited number of recharging stations and the high maintenance costs of electric vehicles.
French consumers prefer local manufacturers such as Peugeot, Citroën and Renault.
the changing landscape of the French automotive market: Key industry players
- The Stellantis Group: A global group resulting from the merger of Groupe PSA and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Stellantis is a major player in the automotive industry
- Renault Group and its subsidiary Dacia,
- Tesla, Inc
- Toyota
Car dealership groups:
- Emil Frey, Gueudet, Cosmobolis, Dubreuil, Sopifel, Bodemer, Jean Lain Automobile, Lamirault, RMC, Cobredia, Mary, Eden Auto, Chopard, Bernard, Neubauer
Online used car sales
- Aramis, Spoticar, Autohero, La Centrale, Crazy, Autosphère, Reezocar
to understand this market
Detailed content of our market study
Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition and scope of study
Automobile dealerships are one of the many types of businesses that exist today for the purchase or resale of motor vehicles. They may be independent of automakers, but in most cases they are linked to certain automakers by purchase and sales contracts, which are rarely exclusive. The major French and foreign brands have all developed their own distribution networks, through which they sell their own-brand cars. Dealerships can sell both new and used vehicles. Indeed, the pre-owned segment is crucial, since around 80% of all car sales involve used vehicles.
Dealers are the so-called classic sales channel, and despite intensifying competition due to the emergence of certain segments such as online sales, they still manage to hold their own. In particular, dealers benefit from the historical image of the brands they represent, which helps build customer loyalty. This is also beneficial for non-expert customers, who tend to relate to the image that these brands have managed to establish over the years.
Despite the low level of presence in France today, the market for electric vehicles is booming, and is expected to account for almost a third of the market by 2025. Production processes are becoming less costly and increasingly organized so that vehicles can be distributed more quickly. This trend could accelerate with the European Parliament's vote on June 8, 2022, to ban the sale of gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles by 2035.
List of charts presented in this market study
- Sales trends in the car and light motor vehicle trade
- Number of new registrations by vehicle type
- Worldwide sales of motor vehicles
- Breakdown of car sales by country
- Forecasts for the global automotive dealership and parts market
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Latest news
With the creation of Carren, Dubreuil gains a foothold in commercial vehicle outfitting - 19/03/2024
- Key figures Automotive Division Dubreuil Group
- 2.526 employees
- 1.2 billion euros in sales (expected in 2023), i.e. 38% of total group sales
- 22.500 new vehicles sold in 2023
- 19.000 used vehicles sold in 2023
- 61 dealerships (Peugeot, Opel, Citroën, DS, Maserati)
Aramis Auto relies on former consultants - 03/02/2024
- Aramis Group was founded in 2001.
- Aramis Group is present in 6 European countries. Aramis Group went public in 2021.
- The company became a subsidiary of Stellantis with a 60% stake.
- Aramis Group sold 14,000 reconditioned vehicles in 2020.
- Aramis Auto acquired two online used-vehicle sales sites, Onlinecars (sales €168m) and Brumbrum (sales €19m).
- In 2023, Aramis Auto posted sales of over €800 million, up more than 10% on the previous year.
- The company has 750 employees and 33 physical agencies.
- The used car market suffered in 2022, with a decline of 14%.
The Dubreuil group strengthens its lubricant business in northern France - 19/01/2024
- Lubexcel has acquired France Lubrifiants Service, based in Lieusaint, Seine-et-Marne, and serving the Hauts-de-France, North-East and Paris regions
- Acquisition brings Lubexcel additional sales of €14 million
- Lubexel also boosts finished product volumes by 20%
- Lubexcel distributes 15,000 tons of lubricants per year
- Lubexcel sales total 47.78 million euros
- Lubexcel has depots in Bellevigny (Vendée), Lorient (Morbihan) and Avignon (Vaucluse)
- Lubexcel has a total of 54 employees
Stellantis takes a radical turn in China. - 09/12/2023
- Signature of a strategic partnership with Chinese automotive start-up Leapmotor.
- Stellantis will acquire a stake of around 21% in the company for a total of 1.5 billion euros.
- The two companies will also set up a joint venture, Leapmotor International, 51% owned by Stellantis.
- Based in the Netherlands, it will "have exclusive rights to manufacture, export and sell Leapmotor products outside China"
- The Leapmotor International joint venture is targeting 500,000 sales outside China by 2030.
- Deliveries from the Leapmotor International joint venture are scheduled to begin in the second half of 2024.
- Stellantis terminated its joint venture with Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) in July 2022.
- Stellantis sold three local plants to the Chinese group Dongfeng.
A hydrogen pick-up: Stellantis' answer to Tesla's Cybertruck - 06/12/2023
- Stellantis aims to launch a hydrogen version of a RAM pickup in the USA in late 2026 or early 2027.
- The hydrogen-powered pickup promises a recharge time of less than ten minutes.
- Stellantis also plans to produce a hydrogen-powered utility vehicle at "industrial volumes" in Hordain, northern France, from next year.
- Toyota, another major manufacturer, presented a prototype Hilux that runs on hydrogen.
- Rivian, a new manufacturer, has already started selling its electric van, backed by Amazon and Ford.
Automotive: Autohero opens France's first reconditioning center in Oise - 13/11/2023
- Autohero has opened its first reconditioning center in France at Montataire, in the Oise region.
- Autohero plans to recondition 25,000 vehicles a year on its site.
- Autohero intends to recruit 250 employees.
- Autohero aims to achieve sales of over one billion euros by 2022.
- Autohero has 70 branches in France.
- Between 2021 and 2022, Autohero increased its sales in Europe by 50%, with 64,000 vehicles sold.
- Autohero plans to recondition 180,000 vehicles a year from 2024 at its ten European sites.
- The company is opening two further reconditioning centers in Sweden and Austria this year.
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