French car market declined in 2020 to its 1975 level

Some 1.65 million new passenger cars were put into circulation last year, up from 2.2 million in 2019, said the Committee of French automakers.

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Le Monde avec AFP

Torpedoed by the health crisis, the French automobile market collapsed by 25.5% in 2020, falling to its level of 1975, according to official figures released Friday, January 1.

Some 1.65 million new passenger cars were put into service last year, up from 2.2 million in 2019, specified the Committee of French automakers (CCFA).

Even “during crises 1990s or 2000s, we never fell below 1.7 million “units sold, CCFA communications director François Roudier told Agence France-Presse.

Victim of the first confinement

The sector was the victim of the closure of concessions and factories during the first containment in the spring, and more generally of the wait-and-see attitude of consumers against the backdrop of a serious economic crisis.

French manufacturers PSA (Peugeot, Citroën, Opel) and Renault held up slightly better than the market, but their deliveries were still cut by 25.1% and 24.9% respectively compared to 2019, while foreign manufacturers saw their registrations contract by 26 , 1%, according to the CCFA.

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