Overview

• France registered 140,354 new cars in September, up 1% year over year, with AAA Data attributing the increase to one additional working day.
• Year-to-date registrations are down 6.25%, and volumes remain 19.8% below September 2019 levels, underscoring a structurally weak market.
• Renault’s registrations rose 6.5% as Stellantis was flat year over year and down 9.47% for the first nine months, with Stellantis planning partial unemployment days in October at several plants including three in France.
• Electric vehicles accounted for 22% of September registrations and 18.3% year to date as hybrids dominate and pure thermal engines, including LPG, fell to 3%, according to AAA Data.
• AAA Data notes early gains from a revised EV purchase bonus, yet PFA’s Luc Chatel says sales would need to reach about 25–26% EV share this year to align with the EU’s 2035 target, and buyers are shifting to lower-priced models that now make up 56% of sales.