27% Of New Cars In France Now Plugin Electric Cars!

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Plugin vehicles continue to rise in France, with last month’s plugin vehicle registrations ending at 40,379 units, divided between 25,473 BEVs (or 17% share of the overall auto market) and 14,906 PHEVs (10% share of the auto market). The former jumped 51% year over year (YoY), while the latter were up by 34%.

Looking at the remaining powertrains, while plugless hybrids were up a robust 40%, petrol was up by just 17%, and diesel continued to be in freefall (-29% YoY) — the black fuel’s new car sales could be dead in a year or two in France! And to think France had 72% diesel share in 2012….

This means that it’s the electrified powertrains (BEV, PHEV, HEV) that are pushing the market upwards, with the overall market growing 22% this October.

Still, the overall market recovery hasn’t yet allowed it to reach pre-pandemic levels, as October 2023 was still down 20% compared to October 2019, the last normal October.

Looking at the YTD plugin share, plugin vehicles stayed at 25% share of the market (16% BEV) through the first 10 months of the year. With a delivery peak expected in November, and even more so in December, due to new CO2 emission-related subsidies coming in 2024 that will especially hit models coming from China (like the Dacia Spring, MG4, and Tesla Model 3), expect the final PEV share to end above the 25% mark, maybe reaching 27%, which would be 2% above the 2022 final score of 25%.

In October, pure electrics once again outsold PHEVs — 63% share of the plugin market vs. 37% — keeping the BEV share at 64% vs. 36% PHEV in 2023. This represents a slight increase of 2% of BEV share compared to the final 2022 result (64% vs. 62%). Added to the also slight increase in plugin share, this could mean that the French plugin market has reached the ceiling of what current models can offer — and new, cheaper EVs will be needed to break it open further in order for the EV transition to reach new heights.

The 20 Best Selling Electric Vehicles in France — October 2023

Last month’s best seller position went to the Dacia Spring, thanks to a strong 3,291 registrations. That figure put the small Dacia crossover in 9th in the overall auto market, its first appearance in the top 10 since February’s #8 position. Expect the Sino-Romanian model to experience even stronger results by the end of the year, as it is likely to lose access to subsidies on January 1, 2024.

The runner-up Fiat 500e had to race neck and neck with the 3rd placed MG4 to win October’s silver medal, with only 23 units separating both models (1,887 vs. 1,864). The made-in-China hatchback is also expected to experience a strong end of the year, so expect the MG BEV to win a couple more monthly medals this year.

Amazingly, the best selling domestic model was only 5th, with the Renault Megane EV beating all of the Peugeot rivals. But not all was bad for the lion make, as the PHEV version of the 308 hatchback scored a record 1,182 registrations. On the other hand, the electric version of the same model had only 50 deliveries…. Which is strange, really strange, as it already had plenty of time to ramp up deliveries. Demand issues?

A model that didn’t have demand issues was the Mini Cooper EV. Despite the current generation getting towards the end of its commercial life, the Mini Cooper EV hit a record score in October, 1,063 registrations, ending the month as the second best selling model in its category. This says a lot about the lack of options in the B-segment/subcompact category. The Peugeot e-208 rules unchallenged, with its closest competitors being two veterans, the 10-year-old Mini Cooper (14th in the table) and the 11-year-old Renault Zoe (#16).

With most major brands now focused on more expensive (and profitable) SUVs, the common, small supermini is having its transition into the electric era delayed, thus also delaying the progress of market electrification in many places. The 2024 Citroen e-C3 has the market’s doors open wide for it…. Will the Stellantis mothership be able to profit from it?

In the second half of the table, there were several models shining. Starting with record performances, Cupra saw its sporty Born hatchback reach 551 units, allowing it to end the month in #16. Highlighting a positive month for the Spanish make, it managed to place a second model in the table as well, with the stylish Formentor PHEV crossover appearing in #18. The other record performance went to the #20 BMW iX1. With 511 registrations, it continued its delivery ramp-up.

Now looking at year-best performances, we have the #14 Mercedes GLA PHEV, which scored 595 registrations. The compact crossover joined the German OEM’s best selling model, the Mercedes GLC PHEV, thus putting two Mercedes in the top 20. Finally, in 15th, we have the recently refreshed Porsche Cayenne PHEV(!), which got 591 registrations, making it the Volkswagen Group’s best selling plugin model in France last month. While this is a good assessment of the popularity of the Porsche SUV, and more proof of the rule “bigger battery = bigger sales,” the new 26 kWh battery-sized Cayenne is putting all of its BEV and PHEV stablemates to shame. And starting at €110,000, one can hardly call it affordable.

Below the top 20, we have the Skoda Enyaq deserving a mention, with the practical crossover hitting a near-record score of 442 registrations, beating its well known cousin, the VW ID.4, which got 428 registrations. Elsewhere, the BMW i4 got a record 445 registrations, while the Polish-built Fiat 600e crossover registered 176 units in its second month on the market.

The 20 Best Selling Electric Vehicles in France — January–October 2023

Looking at the 2023 ranking, the top position is already taken, with the Tesla Model Y almost definitely ending as the best seller. If that comes to be, that would be a first for the crossover but the second trophy for Tesla (having previously won the title in 2021 with the Model 3).

Still on the topic of the podium positions, the Dacia Spring also seems to have its second position secured, while the race for bronze will only depend on the #3 Peugeot e-208. Depending on how smoothly the production ramp-up of the refreshed model goes, we should see the petit lion end the year bearing silver.

It’s not the same as winning the best seller trophy, as the 208 did in 2022, but it is better than nothing, right? Besides, the Tesla Model Y has proven to be unbeatable this year. Better luck in 2024?…

Also, depending on how fast the production ramp-up occurs, the refreshed Tesla Model 3 could surprise towards the end of the year. If there are no hiccups, expect a surge in December, which might pull the sedan into the 4th position in the last month of the year.

As for October, the MG4 was up one spot, to 6th, and should surpass the Renault Megane EV by the end of the year, profiting from the aforementioned year-end peak, allowing the Sino-British model to end the year as the leader in its category.

Another close race is happening between the Peugeot 308 and its crossover sibling, the 3008 PHEV, with both models competing for the 8th position, separated by just 62 units. The hatchback seems to be the favorite, as its crossover stablemate is getting towards the end of the current generation, and with the new one being a vastly improved model, including competitive BEV versions (one of them having 700 km WLTP range), do not expect an end-of-career peak….

In the second half of the table, the highlight was the rising Mercedes-Benz GLC PHEV, which continued to climb the table, this time up to #12. With the PHEV leader, the #9 Peugeot 3008 PHEV, being some 1,200 units ahead, we could still see the midsize SUV try to steal the category trophy from the French crossover in the last days of 2023.

Other position changes came from the #14 Mini Cooper EV and #15 Kia Niro, with both models surpassing the veteran Renault Zoe, which is on its last legs.

With the new Renault 5 EV said to debut at the upcoming 2024 Geneva Auto Show, the good looks of the concept car will need to be retained in the final production version, while the specs and pricing will need to be competitive, because the new Renault 5 should be the model that defines the French brand in the next EV era. If it is a success, then the transition is secured. If not, then a Geely takeover cooperation agreement should be the only way out….

No pressure, Renault 5. No pressure….

Finally, the Mercedes-Benz GLA PHEV joined the table in #19, putting two Mercedes plugin hybrid models on the table (together with the Mercedes GLC PHEV in #12).

Interestingly, only two units separate the #19 Mercedes GLA PHEV from the #21 DS 4 PHEV. The French premium hatchback ended the month at 4,113 units, one unit less than the #20 Volvo XC40 (4,114) and two units less than the #19 Mercedes. Expect a very close race between these three until the end of the year!

Auto Brands Selling the Most Electric Vehicles in France

Looking at the brand ranking, all podium bearers lost share. Tesla decreased its lead at the top of the podium, dropping from 12.8% share in September to its current 12.4%. As for #2 Peugeot (12.3%, down from 12.5%), it lost the opportunity to recover the leadership spot due to the e-208’s slow month. True, there is just 0.1% separating the two, and much of the result will depend on the production ramp-up of the new Tesla Model 3 and the Peugeot e-208, respectively, but with Tesla likely prioritizing Model 3 deliveries to the French market in December due to the end of subsidies for Chinese-made vehicles in 2024, the US automaker is now the clear favorite to win this year’s title.

As a reminder, this could be a historical event — no other foreign brand has ever ended ahead of the local heroes in France! On the other hand, if Peugeot does recover the leadership position, that would be its 3rd consecutive title.

In the last place on the podium, Renault (8.1%, down 0.1%) also lost share. 2023 will see the French brand end the year in 3rd place, its worst standing since 2012. This, again, says a lot about the importance of the upcoming Renault 5. The future of the 8-time winner of the French EV brand race depends on it.

On the other hand, its discount value-for-money brand, Dacia, was up slightly in October (6.7%, up from 6.6% in September). You win some, you lose some, right?

Proving the disruptive times we live in, SAIC’s MG (6%, up from 5.9%) has gained further distance over #6 Fiat (5.3%) and has kept the #6 position.

With a rising BMW (5%) in 7th, Fiat will need the new 600e to start pumping out some significant volumes in the next couple of months to help out its 500e little brother, or else it could risk losing its #6 spot to the German brand.

Auto Groups Selling the Most Electric Vehicles in France

As for OEMs, Stellantis (27.9%, down from 28.3%) is the major force in this market, but with Peugeot, DS, and Citroen experiencing slow months, the remaining brands in the conglomerate weren’t enough to stop the market share drop.

The same can be said about the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance (15.1%, down from 15.4%). While Dacia had a good month, the remaining lineup hasn’t followed through, and it dragged the OEM into the red.

3rd placed Tesla (12.4%) and 4th placed Volkswagen Group (11%, down from 11.1%) were also down, with the German conglomerate suffering from a slow month from the namesake brand, annulling the positive outcomes coming from Skoda, Porsche, and especially Cupra.

Finally, #5 BMW Group (7.4%, up from 7.2%) was the only OEM in the top 5 to gain share, allowing it to gain ground over #6 Hyundai–Kia (6.5%), which should allow BMW to keep the #5 position through the end of 2023.