Renault, Peugeot, Citroen, and Volkswagen, were the best-selling car brands in France at the start of 2012. The Renault Clio remains France’s favorite car.
2012 started badly for the French motoring industry with sales down by over a fifth during the first three months of the year. French manufacturers Renault, Peugeot, and Citroen remained the top three best-selling carmakers in France during the first quarter of 2012 but market volume dropped by nearly a third. The top-selling car models in France were the Renault Clio, Renault Mégane, and the Peugeot 207. Volkswagen was the most popular foreign brand and the VW Polo the most popular imported car model into France.
During the first quarter of 2012, new passenger vehicle registrations in France were down by 21.7% to 507,089 cars.
Best-Selling Car Manufacturers and Makers in France, Q1/2012
Car sales statistics released by the CCFA showed the following car manufacturers and brands to be the leading sellers in France during the first three months of 2012:
| Q1/2012 | % Market Share | % Change from Q1/2011 | |
| Total Market | 507,089 | 100 | -21.7 |
| French | 269,413 | 53.1 | -30.1 |
| Imported | 237,676 | 46.9 | -9.3 |
| Manufacturers: | |||
| PSA | 153,391 | 30.2 | -30.3 |
| Peugeot | 81,248 | 16 | -32.1 |
| Citroen | 72,143 | 14.2 | -28.1 |
| RENAULT Group | 115,181 | 22.7 | -30.2 |
| Renault | 97,024 | 19.1 | -30 |
| Dacia | 18,157 | 3.58 | -31.5 |
| VW Group | 70,727 | 14 | -2.3 |
| Volkswagen | 43,358 | 8.6 | -3.2 |
| Audi | 14,640 | 2.9 | 6.2 |
| Seat | 7,200 | 1.4 | -21.9 |
| Skoda | 5,410 | 1 | 20.2 |
| Others | 119 | 0.02 | 43.4 |
| FORD | 28,748 | 5.7 | -14.3 |
| GM Group | 25,472 | 5 | -29.2 |
| Opel | 19,286 | 3.8 | -27.4 |
| Chevrolet | 6,200 | 1.2 | -13.3 |
| NISSAN | 19,214 | 3.8 | 6.7 |
| FIAT Group | 17,079 | 3.4 | -31.6 |
| Fiat | 12,207 | 2.4 | -37.4 |
| Alfa Romeo | 3,100 | 0.6 | -32.8 |
| Lancia | 1,670 | 0.33 | 119.7 |
| BMW Group | 16,526 | 3.26 | 8.4 |
| BMW | 11,172 | 2.2 | 6.4 |
| Mini | 5,348 | 1.05 | 12.9 |
| TOYOTA | 16,455 | 3.24 | -20.6 |
| HYUNDAI Group | 14,599 | 2.88 | 24.1 |
| Kia | 8,309 | 1.64 | 26.4 |
| Hyundai | 6,290 | 1.24 | 21.2 |
| MERCEDES Group | 13,057 | 2.57 | 24.2 |
| Mercedes-Benz | 11,595 | 2.29 | 29.9 |
| Smart | 1,462 | 0.3 | -7.8 |
| OTHERS | 15,799 | 3.12 | -17 |
Leading Car Makers and Brands in France, Q1/2012
Although Renault, Peugeot, and Citroen continue their dominance of the French new passenger vehicle market, the French manufacturers were also amongst the worst performers in the auto industry during the first quarter of 2012 with weak sales not only in France but also throughout Western Europe.
Despite weaker sales, the Volkswagen Group outperformed the market to increase its share of the French car market by almost 3% compared to the first quarter of 2011. Ford replaced GM as the fourth largest car manufacturer and Opel as the fifth largest car brand in France.
German premium and luxury brands did very well during the first quarter of 2012 in France: Mercedes-Benz sales were up by nearly a third, while BMW, Mini, and Audi all showed positive growth despite the weak overall market.
Korean car brands Kia and Hyundai also increased sales, as did Nissan, which replaced Toyota as the leading Japanese car brand in France.
Top-Selling Car Models in France, Q1/2012
The top ten best-selling cars in France in the first quarter of 2012 according to the CCFA were:
| Make & Model | Sales Q1/2012 | % Market Share | |
| 1 | Renault Clio | 33,469 | 6.6 |
| 2 | Renault Mégane | 32,288 | 6.4 |
| 3 | Peugeot 207/206+ | 31,414 | 6.2 |
| 4 | Citroën C3 | 24,321 | 4.8 |
| 5 | Citroën C4 | 20,889 | 4.1 |
| 6 | Renault Twingo | 13,341 | 2.6 |
| 7 | Peugeot 308 | 13,312 | 2.6 |
| 8 | Volkswagen Polo | 13,152 | 2.6 |
| 9 | Volkswagen Golf | 11,961 | 2.4 |
| 10 | Peugeot 3008 | 11,838 | 2.3 |
The Renault Clio and Renault Mégane were the best-selling cars in France during the first three months of 2012. However, the launch of the new Peugeot 208 in April may well shake up the market order during the second quarter of 2012.
The Volkswagen Polo and Volkswagen Golf were the only non-French cars in the top ten list of best-selling car models in France during the first three months of 2012. Foreign cars generally made inroads into the French car market by supplying nearly half the cars sold in France this year.
