In 2014, the PSA Group (Peugeot, Citroen, DS) was the best-selling carmaker in France; Renault was the most popular car brand and the Clio the top model. New passenger vehicle registrations in France in 2014 were up 0.3%, or only just over 5,000 cars. French carmakers gained 2% market share while most foreign brands experience weaker sales in France.
The French New Car Market in 2014
New passenger vehicle registrations in France increased by only 0.3% to 1,795,913 cars in 2014. This is an increase of only around 5,000 cars for the year.
| FY2014 | % Share | % Change | FY2013 | FY2012 | FY2011 | |
| Total Market | 1,795,913 | 100.0 | 0.3 | 1,790,473 | 1,898,872 | 2,204,229 |
| French | 993,793 | 55.3 | 3.9 | 956,276 | 998,021 | 1,238,274 |
| Imported | 802,120 | 44.7 | -3.8 | 834,197 | 900,851 | 965,955 |
The French car market in 2014 was still more than 400,000 cars smaller than in 2011. Particularly worrying is the weakness in the French car market during the final quarter of 2014 when sales were significantly lower than the final months of the previous five years.
In 2014, French car manufacturers outperformed the broader market with sales increasing by nearly 4% while car sales of foreign branded cars were down by 3.8%. This allowed the French brands to regain 2% market share.
Best-Selling Car Manufacturers in France in 2014
The top-selling carmakers in France in 2014 according to car sales statistics released by the CCFA were:
| Manufacturers: | FY2014 | % Share | % Change | FY2013 |
| PSA Group | 536,146 | 29.9 | 1.6 | 527,914 |
| Peugeot | 305,015 | 17.0 | 5.3 | 289,593 |
| Citroen | 199,385 | 11.1 | 2.4 | 238,321 |
| DS | 31,746 | 1.8 | -27.2 | 43,589 |
| RENAULT Group | 456,425 | 25.4 | 6.8 | 427,455 |
| Renault | 353,906 | 19.7 | 4.8 | 337,611 |
| Dacia | 102,519 | 5.7 | 14.1 | 89,844 |
| VW Group | 237,544 | 13.2 | -1.9 | 242,048 |
| Volkswagen | 139,554 | 7.8 | -1.3 | 141,428 |
| Audi | 56,395 | 3.1 | -4.7 | 59,147 |
| Seat | 21,090 | 1.2 | -4.3 | 22,039 |
| Skoda | 20,412 | 1.1 | 5.5 | 19,341 |
| FORD Group | 75,090 | 4.2 | -18.0 | 76,470 |
| TOYOTA Group | 70,262 | 3.9 | -5.9 | 74,692 |
| NISSAN Group | 68,741 | 3.8 | 8.8 | 63,180 |
| BMW Group | 65,973 | 3.7 | 0.2 | 65,854 |
| BMW | 47,682 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 46,473 |
| Mini | 18,278 | 1.0 | -4.3 | 19,099 |
| GM Group | 65,442 | 3.6 | -19.4 | 81,159 |
| Opel | 61,246 | 3.4 | 2.7 | 59,620 |
| Chevrolet | 4,185 | 0.2 | -80.6 | 21,518 |
| FIAT Group | 62,839 | 3.5 | 0.9 | 60,926 |
| Fiat | 45,738 | 2.6 | -4.1 | 47,683 |
| Alfa Romeo | 7,608 | 0.4 | -5.5 | 8,047 |
| Lancia | 6,105 | 0.3 | 26.9 | 4,812 |
| MERCEDES Group | 53,298 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 52,233 |
| Mercedes-Benz | 49,149 | 2.7 | 4.6 | 46,966 |
| HYUNDAI Group | 45,351 | 2.5 | -23.4 | 59,242 |
| Kia | 28,186 | 1.6 | -15.9 | 33,504 |
| Hyundai | 17,165 | 1.0 | -33.3 | 25,738 |
| Souce: CCFA / Figures exclude “others” & manufacturers selling fewer than 6,000 cars | ||||
Top-Selling Carmakers and Brands in France in 2014
The PSA Group remained the largest carmaker in France in 2014 with Peugeot and Citroen recording stronger sales. Peugeot and Citroen remained the second and third strongest selling car brands in France. However, DS sales were down by a quarter and already raising questions whether it will be able to survive as a brand independent of Citroen.
The Renault Group increased sales in France in 2014 for both Renault and Dacia brands. Renault remained the strongest selling car marque in France while Dacia is the fifth strongest brand.
The Volkswagen Group remained the strongest foreign carmaker in France in 2014 despite weaker sales in all brands except Skoda. Volkswagen was again the strongest imported car marque in France in 2014 and the fourth largest overall.
The GM Group slipped behind the Ford, Toyota, Nissan and the BMW Groups due to the withdrawal of Chevrolet (-80%) from the European car market during 2014. Opel’s sales growth was positive for a change.
Ford sales were sharply down while Toyota also struggled. The Nissan Group saw a strong increase in sales. The Nissan brand sold just over a thousand more cars than the Toyota brand in France in 2014.
BMW Groups sales were flat with BMW-branded cars showing positive growth but Mini still lacking after introducing a new model earlier in the year.
The Fiat Group sold more cars in France in 2014 with growth coming mostly from the Lancia brand that increased by a quarter from a very low base.
The Mercedes-Benz Group had positive sales with the Mercedes-Benz cars increasing sales by a strong 4.6% – much stronger growth than BMW and Audi. Smart sales were down by a fifth to just over 4,000 cars – the introduction of a new model at the end of the year should help its fortunes in 2015.
Sales of South Korean cars were sharply down in France in 2014. Kia sales were down by 16% while Hyundai sales were down by a third – only Chevrolet performed worse.
The Renault Clio was again at the top of the list of best-selling car models in France in 2014.
