France February 2018

Nissan Leaf jumps to Second Place 

The French EV passenger car market registered some 3.100 registrations, up 12% YoY, but with growth coming only from PHEVs (+115%), as BEVs (-14%) continue in the red (-28% this year), with Plug-in hybrids representing this year 59% of sales, a landmark in a market once know for its BEV friendlyness (In 2015, BEV outsold PHEVs by a 3-to-1 ratio).

Nevertheless, the current PEV share sits at 1.7%, which is on par with last year result, so  PHEVs have been able to compensate the BEV slowdown.

Looking at February Best Sellers, the Renault Zoe returned to four-digit results (1.155 registrations), but it was still down 26% YoY, with the Nissan Leaf returning to its natural place (Second), with 306 deliveries, the nameplate's best result in 11 months, while two Plug-in hybrids show up in the Top 5 (Volvo XC60 PHEV and VW Passat GTE), both establishing record numbers. A sign of new times in France?

Pl	Model	Sales
1	Renault Zoe	1.155
2	Nissan Leaf	306
3	BMW i3	181
4	Volvo XC60 PHEV	134
5	VW Passat GTE	131

In a market usually known for its stability, there was a lot to talk about below the Zoe, the big news were the Nissan Leaf returning to Second Place in the YTD ranking, while the Kia Soul EV dropped three positions to #6.

Another model on the rise was the VW Passat GTE, up five positions, from #12 to Seventh, while the Smart Fortwo ED stumbled to #9.

Finally the Mercedes E350e had its best performance ever (79 units), allowing it to jump eight positions to #12.

In the brands ranking, Renault (33%) continues in the driver seat, followed at a distance by BMW (11%), while Mercedes and Volvo, both with 8% share, are running for the Bronze Medal. 

Source: Avere France