Automotive Market: Thirteenth Consecutive Month of Decline in June

The months follow each other and look alike: the automotive market declines but electric cars are making their mark.

The new car market in France remains in a slump. With 171,089 private vehicle registrations in June, it marks a new decrease of 14.2%. Stellantis ended the month at -16.9%. Conversely, the Renault group saw its sales increase by 4%, allowing it to slightly surpass its rival (53,916 registrations vs. 53,804 for Stellantis). Volkswagen recorded a 37% decline but still maintains its position as the top foreign brand (19,010 registrations), ahead of Toyota (8,918 registrations, -26.66%).

The semiconductor shortage, still and always

According to François Roudier, spokesperson for the Automotive Platform, the main explanation for this poor June is still related to the semiconductor shortage. “We have an offer but cannot deliver”, he explained to BMF Business. “We are really managing the industry almost on a day-to-day basis”.

A crisis that lasts

With this poor June, the auto market is experiencing its thirteenth consecutive month of decline. Over the first six months of the year, it has fallen by 16.34% in raw data, with a total of 771,982 registrations. The best-selling car was the Peugeot 208, ahead of the Renault Clio and Dacia Sandero.

Electric cars remain unaffected by the market crisis. On the contrary, they represent an increasingly larger share of sales. During the first half of the year, just over 93,000 electric models were registered, about 20,000 more than in the first six months of 2021. Their market share reached 12.1%.

By contrast, plug-in hybrid cars are struggling. With 62,810 registrations, they are now far from electric vehicles, which they were close to in 2021.

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