Tag: Car Sales

French Car Market Revival on Cards as Car Sales for June Recorded Close to Normal

While the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, France might just have witnessed a return to normalcy as far as the car market is concerned. Car sales in the country plummeted to a new low in April, as the country witnessed an 88 percent drop in demand. 

An automobile study carried out by La Plateforme reveals that sales in the auto industry of France for June are just at par with the sales during June of last year. The monthly figures were published by La Plateforme and its Director General Marc Mortureux during the month of July. 

“We remain cautious because the last days of the month are very important, but there are clear signs of a restart,” Mortureux said in an interview. “After catastrophic months of March, April and May, the month of June is shaping up to be near normal at last year’s level, which was in itself relatively high.”

While orders are almost near normal, the Director General believes that the current French car industry production levels are still at 60 percent of what they were before the crisis. Still a 50 percent increase from the 40 percent they were at during the last month. 

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRq6IA0Cno8

French Car Market Plummets 89 Percent in April

Car sales in the French market have come to a screeching halt as the country reels from the impact of the Coronavirus lockdown. March saw a steep contraction of 72 percent, but the downfall for April has been even more severe. All businesses deemed non-essential, including auto dealers, have been closed since March 17th.

Only 20,000 units were sold during the month of April, out of which 17,000 were sold by the two biggest automaker models in France, PSA and Renault.

“There were some deliveries, some car registrations, especially by Renault and PSA, for medical staff, government workers and individuals who had ordered and already paid for their cars,” Francois Roudier, spokesman for the CCFA, told AFP.

Looking ahead, “it will be the recovery plan that determines the state of the market over the year,” Roudier said. “There are a lot of unknowns.”

The unknown factors in the market include speculations over when the lockdown will be lifted and by when we can expect a full fledged return back to normalcy. Until then, consumers and buyers would have to live and bear with the reduced sales and market growth in the automotive sector.

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZQUEOrS3bA