Electrified cars overtake petrol models in French Q1 sales
By Gilles Guillaume
PARIS (Reuters) – Gross sales of recent electrified automobiles in France overtook petrol-powered equivalents for the primary time within the first quarter, a significant milestone for lower-emission automobiles amid excessive costs at petrol pumps and authorities subsidies for electrified fashions.
Total, French new automobile gross sales fell within the first quarter and recorded their tenth straight month of declines with an nearly 20% drop in March, because the auto trade struggles to with provide chain points together with a world scarcity of semiconductor chips.
Gross sales of totally electrical and hybrid fashions accounted for practically 40% of recent automobile gross sales, versus 38.3% for standard petrol fashions, in keeping with trade information offered by the Plateforme vehicle (PFA).
A spokesperson for the PFA mentioned resulting from uncertainty over the conflict in Ukraine and shortages of some parts, it was not potential to supply a forecast for French new automobile gross sales in 2022.
Including in diesel mannequin gross sales’ market share of 16.5% within the first quarter, pure combustion engine fashions are nonetheless within the majority.
However this can be a sea change in auto gross sales, as electrified automobiles had been a distinct segment market simply three years in the past.
Inspired by subsidies, looming bans on fossil-fuel fashions and excessive petrol costs, electrified fashions have turn out to be mainstream in a really brief area of time.
The highest-selling electrical automobile in France in March was Tesla’s mass-market Mannequin 3, adopted by the Dacia Spring from Renault and the Peugeot 208 from Stellantis.
French automobile gross sales had been down 17.3% within the first quarter.
In 2020, the French automobile market fell off a cliff as a result of coronavirus pandemic, however then rose barely in 2021.
(Reporting by Gilles Guillaume; Writing by Nick Carey; Modifying by Mark Potter)
