According to data from the firm NGC-Data®, the French automobile market fell by 18.6% in January 2022, with only 102,901 registered registrations. Peugeot represented 20% of the market in this first month, far ahead of Renault. Hyundai and Kia continue their momentum.
The French automotive market started 2022 as it had ended 2021, on a double-digit decline. According to data provided by the firm NGC-Data®, 102,901 new cars were registered in January, a drop of 18.6% compared to the same month in 2021 (despite one more working day this year). To compare, 155,080 NVs had been registered in January 2019 (156,846 in 2018). Sales of new cars have been in decline since June 2021. Despite well-stocked order portfolios, automakers are unable to deliver vehicles as quickly as they would like. The evils have not changed, and the sector remains penalized by the shortage of semiconductors, even if, according to feedback from many manufacturers, the situation is starting to improve in the factories.
“Statistically, everyone is going to be very scared in the first quarter of 2022. We will certainly take the tide because the market was off to a good start during the first three months of 2021, on bases that are substantially identical to those of 2019analyzes Jérôme Gautier, commercial director of Citroën. However, what we observed during the first weeks confirms our hypothesis of growth of the PC market around 4% in 2022, within a wide range of 0 to + 10%. » The rebound in the automotive market is expected to take shape mainly in the second half or even the last quarter of 2022.
TO READ. Automotive market. Sales unscrew (again) in January 2022
Hyundai, seventh car brand in France in January
Peugeot consolidated its leading position in the French market, representing one out of five new vehicle registrations (19.9% share), far ahead of Renault (15.2%). In this declining market, eight car brands recorded positive variations: Hyundai (+13.2%), Kia (+6%), Mini (+33.7%), Lexus (+19.4%), Cupra (+94.8%), MG Motor (+364%) and Mitsubishi (+144.6%). Conversely, Ford (-35.9%), Seat (-38.7%) and Volvo (-33.7%) posted the most significant declines.
Return of individuals
The retail channel increased slightly compared to the last months of 2021, representing a share of 47.2% of registrations. As in recent months, the corporate and long-term rental channel held up best in January (–5.4%), capturing 31% of the car market. Finally, gasoline cars accounted for 37.7% of registrations, followed by gasoline hybrid models (20.9%) and diesels (18.3%). The share of 100% electric cars was 9.9%.
