© Julien Sarboraria
– Sales of electric vehicles fell by 2.2% in 2024 compared to the previous year.
The automobile market at half mast in 2024. Sales of new cars have fallen by 3,17% in France 2024, according to figures published Wednesday January 1 by the Automobile Platform (PFA). 1.7 million cars were sold in France, a far cry from the more than 2 million before Covid, as reported by BFM and RMC. Sales of Stellantis fell by almost 7% while those of Renault fell by 2.7%. Sales of electric vehicles, which had jumped 47% in 2023 compared to the previous year, notably fell by 2,2% in 2024, despite the implementation of social electric leasing.
Bad figures which can be explained, according to certain professionals, by a loss of reference among customers, lost between gasoline, diesel, hybrid, electric and multiplication of restrictions and low emission zones (ZFE). “When we don't know how long we will be able to travel, we postpone our purchase. And there are a lot of people who are extremely anxious”observes Edouard Cottignies, dealer in Yvelines.
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Professionals worried about 2025
And the outlook for 2025 unfortunately does not look any brighter. “There is a lot of political uncertainty which is starting to worry households who are keeping their savings. We expect a year 2025 to very low levels», confides to our colleagues Flavien Neuvy, director of the Cetelem automobile observatory.
Despite falling sales, some remain optimistic. Athina Argyriou, deputy president of the International Automobile and Motorcycle Trade Union Chamber (CSIAM), which represents foreign manufacturers in France, believes that 2024 was “a very good year given the political, geopolitical, social and economic contexts in Europe”. “The market is doing quite well, a variation of 3% is not not necessarily dramatic and we see that the market is stabilizing after Covid”she adds, ensuring that this drop in sales of new cars has repercussions on used vehicles.
