France October 2018

The Alliance Shines 

The French PEV passenger car market registered 3,888 registrations in October, with all-electric models growing fast (+60%), while plug-in hybrids were still in post-NEDC hangover (down 2%), but YTD, PHEVs are still jumping 35% YoY.

The 2018 PEV share climbed to 1.9%, with BEVs alone having 1.4% share (+0.1%), but October results were above average, with BEVs (1.7% share) pulling the PEV market to 2.2%.

Looking at last month Best Sellers, we can see why all-electrics are riding a blue wave, with the Zoe jumping to 1,745 registrations, up 125% regarding the same month last year, while its Alliance relative, the Nissan Leaf, scored 410 deliveries, up 75% YoY. 

Ending a trifecta of good results for the Renault-Nissan Alliance, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV was #4, with 167 deliveries, the nameplate best performance since 2015...

Pl	Model	Sales
1	Renault Zoe	1745
2	Nissan Leaf	410
3	BMW i3	173
4	Mitsu. Outlander PHEV	167
5	Mini Countryman PHEV	145

In a market known for its stability on the top spots, there are a number of interesting duels, the most important being for the Best Selling PHEV trophy, with the Mini Countryman PHEV and the #4 Volvo XC60 PHEV separated by just 5 units. With both plug-in hybrids selling in volume, a rarity in current times, it is hard to imagine who will win the race, but whoever wins, it will be a first, as none of the competitors had ever been among the trophy winners. 

Both the #7 Smart Fortwo ED and #8 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV are set to surpass the #6 Mercedes GLC350e soon, while below the Top 10, we clearly see the BEVs good moment, with 4 all-electric models climbing positions, with the veteran Peugeot iOn jumping two positions, to #11, and its Citroen twin brother, the C-Zero, climbing to #19, while the Korean BEVs also had reasons to smile about, with the Kia Soul EV jumping two positions to #14 and the Hyundai Ioniq Electric climbing to #18.

Finally, the Jaguar i-Pace deliveries finally started in significant volumes, with 40 units being registered last month.

In the brands ranking, Renault (36%) continues in the leading position, followed at a distance by the #2 Nissan (11%) and #3 BMW (10%, down 1%).