France February 2021

 

Tesla Model 3 beats Renault Zoe! (And Peugeot 208 EV beats both of them...) 

If the overall automotive market continues suffering from the Covid-related pandemic (-21% in February), plugin sales remained positive, with PHEVs on the rise (up 134%, to 9,097 units, allowing them to have a 52% share among plugins last month, not far from the 56% peak of January, the BEV recovery regarding the previous month is due to a less horrible month from pure EVs, that were down in February by just 11%, a marked improvement from the steep 41% drop of January. Still, the French market is known to be BEV-friendly, so fully electric models will likely recover as the year advances. 

Regarding the plugin share, last month it reached 13% (6.3% BEV), keeping the YTD share at 12% (5.8% BEV), and if we were to add the plugless hybrids to the tally (HEV and MHEV), then the electrified share of the French market would hit 31%(!), as plugless hybrids hit an amazing score of 18% in February, true, most of it is due to mild hybrids, but still, this meant that petrol vehicles saw their share being reduced by 5% in February, to 44%, compared to the same month last year, but more shocking is the 9% reduction of the diesel share in only 12 months, with the black fuel now having only 25% of the (once diesel-addicted) French market... 

At this pace, diesel will be mort here by 2024... 

Looking at last month Best Sellers, a lot is going on in the top spots, first the Peugeot 208 EV had its first two win streak in this market, after winning in January, the Stellantis EV did it again in February, but the biggest surprise comes in 2nd, with the Tesla Model 3 winning Silver, with 1,166 deliveries, its best off-peak score ever in France, which could mean that the sports sedan might be headed for a record performance in March (1,500?), and a possible monthly win in France, which would not only be its first in this market, but also the first time a foreign model would take that honor... 

The last place of the podium went for the Peugeot 3008 PHEV, with 1,104 units, thus making two Peugeot's in the podium, but also securing the BEV and PHEV monthly wins, beating the Renault arch rival in both categories...

Speaking of Renault, its Zoe best seller was relegated from the podium, for the first time since 2012(!), ending February in 4th, ahead of the #5 Renault Captur PHEV (that lost the PHEV category to the aforementioned Peugeot 3008 PHEV) and the #6 Renault Twingo EV, that saw its Stellantis rival (Fiat 500e) ending in 7th, so Renault now looks to be surrounded by a Stellantis model assault (with a certain Tesla cowboy helping along) and with little help from their Group companions (there are no Nissan's or Mitsubishi's in the Top 20), it seems Renault is destined to lose its decade-long grip of the French market, and a new cycle is set to start.   

Another example of the broad appeal that the Stellantis (looong) lineup has, is that the Conglomerate has 8 models, from 5 different brands, in this Top 20. Impressive, eh? 

Elsewhere, a mention to the good score of the Mercedes GLC300e/de, with 412 registrations, while the VW ID.3 showed up in (a still discreet) #14, and the Ford Kuga (euro-spec Escape) PHEV returned to the table in #15, thanks to 302 registrations, its best score since July, so it seems the battery issues are now a thing of the past and the Ford crossover is back on its feet.

Looking at the 2021 ranking, we have two Peugeot's ahead of two Renault's in the top spots, confirming the disruptive times in this market and the end of a cycle. 

But the Climber of the Month was the Tesla Model 3, that jumped into #6, and should jump higher next month, possibly to 4th. 

In the city car category, the #7 Renault Twingo EV and #8 Fiat 500e are separated by just 153 units, so this category is starting to look like an entertaining race to follow throughout the year.  

On the second half of the table, we now have the VW ID.3 in #17, while the BMW X5 PHEV is now #20, having surpassed its Mercedes GLE350e/de rival, but has the rising #21 Ford Kuga PHEV just 3 units behind, so BMW's yacht will probably disappear from the table next month.

Looking at the manufacturers ranking, the new leader Peugeot dropped 2% in share, to 22%, but it is enough to stay ahead of the runner-up Renault (16%), while Kia (6%, down 1%) keeps its 3rd spot, ahead of Citroen, Volvo and Tesla, all with 4% each.

As for OEMs, Stellantis is now the major force here, with a commanding 35% share, with the Renault-Nissan Alliance far behind, with only 17%, while the best foreign OEM is  Hyundai-Kia, with 9% share.

The Stellantis Group is starting to become a force to be reckoned, betting on a broad lineup, distributed by its 106 brands, that is not dependent on the behavior of a single model and allowing it a massive scale, that will help it play relevant roles in several major markets, with the exception being Asia, and most specifically, China, where they lack a competitive local associate.

With the French and Italian markets now in the bag, and Opel regaining some relevance in its native Germany, the only domestic market left for the Stellantis conglomerate to make their mark is the USA, where Jeep (upcoming Wrangler PHEV, future Wrangler EV...) seems to spearhead the Group efforts (now, about that Ram EV...), but for now, the American arm of Stellantis seems to be the laggard among the Detroit Big 3.

(Well, not long ago, Renault seemed unbeatable in France...)

France January 2021

 

Peugeot beats Renault! 

After months of record sales, the French PEV passenger car market hit the brakes in January, dropping 1% YoY, with the blame falling in the all-electric models, that fell a steep 41%, to 6,471 units, while plug-in hybrids continued their surge (+115% YoY), to 8,220 registrations, allowing plugin hybrids to have 56% of plugin sales, a new record for the technology, in what is traditionally a BEV-friendly market.

Despite this slow start, because the overall market drop was more pronounced (-6% YoY), this allowed the 2021 PEV share to start at 12% share (5.1% for BEVs alone), which is already above the 2020 score of 11% (and miles away from the 3% of 2019), so it all points that this year we will see the French market go north of the 15% mark, and maybe even reach 20%...

Has disruption hit the French market for good?

Looking at January Best Sellers, the Peugeot 208 EV has beaten the Renault Zoe for the first time since last April, and adding insult to injury, it wasn't the only Peugeot model to beat the Renault model!

The crossover Peugeot 3008 PHEV became the first plugin hybrid to win the Monthly Best Seller trophy in France, by beating both the Zoe and its 208 EV sibling, all thanks to a record 1,410 registrations, making it an historic 1-2 win for Peugeot at home, and relegating the Renault EV to the 3rd spot for the first time in 8 years!

But one shouldn't read too much into these numbers, as it had more to do with allocation issues than actual demand, after all, in January, the Renault Zoe deliveries were exhausted by the "all hands on deck" effort of December, as Renault did everything to keep the Zoe on the last year European leadership, while on the other hand, because PSA had already complied with the EU 2020 emission rules, Peugeot delayed some December deliveries into January, allowing them to have a peak last month.

This highlighted Peugeot's great month, with 4 models in the top 13 spots (the 2008 EV crossover was #11 and the 508 PHEV midsizer was #13), while Stellantis, the new group that resulted from the fusion between PSA and FCA, had 8 models in the Top 20(!), besides the Pug models, Citroen's C5 Aircross PHEV midsize SUV was 6th, the premium SUV DS 7 Crossback PHEV ended January in 8th, the cute Fiat 500e was 9th, and the Opel Corsa EV reached 15th last month.

And with the Citroen C4 EV and Opel Mokka EV in ramp up mode, we could have even more Stellantis models in the table...

But January wasn't only about the newly formed Stellantis, as Hyundai-Kia also had reasons to smile about, with the #5 Kia Niro EV scoring a record 748 registrations, becoming last month Best Selling Foreigner, while the Hyundai Kona EV registered 475 units, ending the month in #7.

Towards the end of the table, a reference to the Mercedes GLE350e/de in 16th, highlighting a new trend in France, because plugless high end SUVs are seeing their taxes being increased significantly, due to the French CO2-based bonus/malus system, buyers of these kind of vehicles have to go PHEV (or BEV) in order to dodge the heavy taxes, so in the future it won't be a surprise to see several models in the table, besides the big Mercedes, we also have the BMW X3 PHEV in #17, Volvo XC60 PHEV in #18, and another Mercedes in #20, with the midsize GLC PHEV closing the table.  

With Stellantis going full speed in January, Peugeot (24%) has started the year in the lead, displacing Renault (16%) from the lead for the first time in 90 9 years(!), so it seems Renault's  walk in the park in its home market could be nearing the end, with Stellantis as a Group now having a commanding 37% share.

In 3rd place, and far from the two French arch-rivals, we have Kia, with 7%, much thanks to the success of the Kia Niro EV and XCeed PHEV, followed by Citroen (5%) and Volvo (4%). 

And all of the sudden, the French EV market has become one of the most interesting to follow...

France December 2020

 

A future star lands in a record market (19% share!)

If the overall automotive market had a horrible 2020 (-26% YoY), with the 1.7 million units of this year being the lowest result since 1975, plugin sales continue steaming hot, with sales jumping four fold regarding the same month of 2019, with PHEVs (up 5-fold, to 15,168 units) growing faster than BEVs (20,734 units), allowing them to have a 42% share among plugins in December, another impressive result in this traditionally BEV-friendly market, and above the 40% share they ended in the whole year. 

These disruptive numbers are also reflecting on the plugin share, as last month it reached a record 19% (11% BEV), pulling the final 2020 share to 11% (6,7% BEV), a far cry from the 3% of 2019.

Interestingly, the current market disruption is also benefiting HEVs, as they doubled their share this year from 5% to 10% share, so 2020 ended with 21% of the total sales coming from electrified models, up from 8% in the previous year, an amazing progression, while petrol lost 11% share in the last 12 months, from the 58% of 2019, to the current 47%, while diesel lost just 3% share, to the current 31%.

With the 2020 plugin share firm in the two-digit region, expect this market to be disrupted further next year. Let's say...20% by the end of 2021?

Looking at last month Best Sellers, if the winner was the usual Renault Zoe, below it, there was a surprise, with the Peugeot models taking the month off, as the French brand had already complied with the EU's 2020 CO2 rules, the 208 EV runner-up spot was up for grabs, and the taker of it was the VW ID.3, that scored a surprising 2,550 registrations, now, how much of them were self registrations in order to comply with the CO2 rules is anyone's guess, but looking through that angle, the same can be said about a lot of last month record performances...

But the most surprising performance in December belonged to the small Dacia Spring EV, that landed with 1,721 units, a new record, this result gains even more dimension when we realize these first deliveries months are destined to demonstration units and fleets, with regular deliveries to private buyers only expect to happen in Q3 2021...

With the small Dacia said to have an unbeatable price, the Chinese-built EV could be come a big success story in Europe (and Latin America? India? Africa?), as it breaks new ground price-wise, as it is expected to be more than 5,000€ cheaper than the current cheapest EV sold in Europe...  

Speaking of City EVs, it seems this category is the new hot stuff in France, with 3 representatives in the December Top 6, as not only the Dacia Spring EV won the Bronze medal, but the fresh Fiat 500e was 4th, with 1,545 units in only its 2nd month on the market, and the also recent Renault Twingo was 6th, with 1,353 units, a new record for the tiny French EV. And let's not forget the veteran VW e-Up, that scored a record performance in December, with 525 deliveries.

On the PHEV side, the market is less concentrated, so on this category there's only one model with a 4-digit score, with the Renault Captur PHEV registering 1,437 units, but nevertheless, there was plenty to talk about:

- Mercedes continued to push its PHEV models, in particular the SUVs, with all 3 of them hitting record scores (GLA - 596 units; GLC - 712; GLE - 490), as it ran until the last day of the year to comply with the 2020 CO2 rules;

- Same story with the Three-pointed-Star arch-rival, BMW, with the Bavarian maker reaching record results with their SUVs (X1 PHEV - 405 units; X3 PHEV - 660; X5 - 482), while its British affiliate Mini did the same with its Countryman PHEV crossover, that registered a record 414 deliveries. Now, how much of this is actual demand, and how much is CO2 compliance? Mmmm...discuss.

At the bottom of this Top 20, a reference to the record 511 deliveries of the SEAT Leon PHEV, with the spicy Spaniard beating its more corporate minded cousin, the VW Golf PHEV, that ended in #21, with 501 units, that nevertheless is a new record for the German model.

Outside this Top 20, a reference to the 318 registrations of the hatchback desguised as crossover Kia Xceed PHEV, so it seems this crossover between a Crossover and a Hatchback (a CCUV - Crossover Crossover Utility Vehicle?!?) has struck a chord among French PHEV buyers.

Looking at the 2020 ranking, the Renault Zoe continued its winning streak in 2020 (it is the Best Seller in France since 2013...), this time followed by the Peugeot 208 EV, that was somewhat disappointing in 2020, as i expected it to end closer to the Renault rival, but then again, who could tell the Zoe would almost double its 2019 score (18,817 units)?

And looking at the bright side, it was the first time since 2012 that a Peugeot model ended in the podium (the tiny iOn was 2nd then), so you got to start somewhere, right? 

The last position of the podium changed hands in December, with the Peugeot 3008 PHEV losing the Bronze medal to the Tesla Model 3, thus makig a fully BEV podium, while below them, the rising Renault Captur PHEV jumped to 5th, with the small Renault crossover now being the strongest candidate for the 2021 Best Selling PHEV trophy, which would grant Renault both BEV and PHEV trophies next year...Not bad, eh? 

The Climber of the Month was the VW ID.3, that came from below the Top 20 into #9, in the last stage of the 2020 race, which is a good start for the 2021 race, where the German hatchback will try to beat the Tesla Model 3 and become the Best Selling Foreign model in France. 

On the second half of the table, we have the Citroen C5 PHEV climbing two spots, to #13, while the #22 VW e-Up was the Best Selling City EV in 2020, a title that the veteran model should have for the last time in its possession, considering the slew of new models (Dacia Spring EV, Fiat 500e, Renault Twingo EV...), all with Top 20 ambitions in 2021.

Looking at the 2020 Best Selling Full size model, the honour went to the Porsche Cayenne PHEV, that with 2,157 deliveries, it beat the BMW X5 PHEV (1,867 units), while the category Best Selling BEV was the Audi e-Tron, with 804 registrations. 

Looking at the brands ranking, the leader was, as always, Renault, with 24% (down 1%), with the runner-up Peugeot (17%, down 2%) at a safe distance, while the last place in the podium was disputed by a long list of brands, with Mercedes (5%) taking the Bronze medal in the end.

France November 2020

 

FIAT 500e lands in hot market (15% share!)

If the overall automotive market has seen its blues highlighted (-27% in November) by the recent Covid resurgence, plugin sales continue steaming hot (+204%!), with PHEVs (up 291%, to 9,144 units) growing faster than BEVs (+200%, to 9,601 units), allowing them to have a 49% share among plugins, another impressive result in this traditionally BEV-friendly market, and above the 40% share they have in the whole year. 

These disruptive numbers are also reflecting on the plugin share, as last month it reached 15% (8% BEV), pulling the YTD share to 10% (6,2% BEV), a far cry from the 3,1% from 12 months ago.

Interestingly, the market disruption is also benefiting HEVs, as they reached 12% share last month, well above the 5% of last year, so we had 27% of the total sales coming from electrified models last November, a new high, while petrol lost 14% share in 12 months, from the 56% of November '19, to the current 42%, while diesel lost just 3% share, to the current 31%.

With the 2020 plugin share now reaching two-digit scores on a regular basis, expect this market to be disrupted further next year. 

Looking at last month Best Sellers, the top 2 were the usual local heroes, but below them, the PHEV race was close, with the Mercedes GLC300e/de getting in between the two local major players, with the Mercedes SUV losing to the Citroen C5 Aircross PHEV the monthly category title by just 45 units.

Funny enough, after a record result in October (1,693 units!), the Renault Captur PHEV deliveries dropped 64% month-on-month, to the 602 of November. A simple allocation issue, or was October an exception due to the waiting list clearance?

On the remaining Top 10, the VW e-Up has beaten all expectations, by coming out of nowhere to #6, with a record 520 registrations, beating not only the #7 Tesla Model 3, but also the #8 VW ID.3...That seems to be stuck in 500-something performances in this market. Has the new German EV already found its (slowish) cruise speed?

Regarding the Californian, the 501 deliveries of November are its 2nd best score ever in an off-peak month, so we might see it score a record result in December...Say...1,500 units?

In 10th, we have the Mercedes A250e, that scored a best ever score of 443 units, and that wasn't the only Mercedes to hit record results, as the aforementioned GLC300e/de score  of 637 was also a record, just like the #13 Mercedes GLA250e (425 units).

The German maker is busy ramping up deliveries of its extensive PHEV lineup, with 3 other models hitting relevant (and record) performances last month: the GLE350de scored 167 units, the CLA250e sporty sedan had 127 units, while the new B250e MPV is already at 101 deliveries.  

It took them a while to get their show on the road, but the fact is that Mercedes is now well ahead of its arch-rival BMW, that had their only decent performances coming from Mini, with the Cooper EV scoring 405 deliveries, while the Best Selling BMW was the X1 PHEV, that had 284 registrations, while its slightly more expensive, slightly less roomy and (much) uglier sibling BMW X2 PHEV was the only good surprise coming from the Munich maker, as it delivered a record 147 units in November.

On the lower half of the Top 20, a reference to the 377 deliveries of the Range Rover PHEV in its first full sales month, while its less fancier sibling Land Rover Discovery Sport PHEV also score a three digit score in its first full sales month, in this case, 101 units.

But the most important fresh model was undoubtedly the #20 FIAT 500e, that registered its first 307 units in France, while it is an impressive landing per se, this is also an important landmark for the city car category, because it means that the leader of the segment is now going EV, so expect it to become to the city car crew what the Renault Zoe is to the category above (and what the VW ID.3 wants to be in the compact segment).

Outside this Top 20, a reference to the landing of the Suzuki Across PHEV (aka, rebadged Toyota RAV4 PHEV), with a relevant 103 units (and much needed for EU's CO2 compliance...), while Citroen had the e-C4 EV hatchback score its first three-digit performance, with 101 deliveries, as it prepares the model to become its star player for 2021.

Looking at the 2020 ranking, while the top 2 remain unattainable, the last position of the podium should change hands in December, with the #3 Peugeot 3008 PHEV now only 18 units ahead of the #4 Tesla Model 3, while below them, the rising Kia Niro EV is closing in on the #5 Hyundai Kona EV, so the 182 units of advance of its Korean cousin might not be enough from preventing the Kia EV to end the year in 5th. 

The highest position change was the Renault Captur PHEV climbing to #7, while below it, the Mercedes GLC300e/de was also up, in this case, to #9. 

On the second half of the table, we have the Volvo XC40 PHEV climbing two spots, to #11, while below it, we have two PSA SUVs on the rise, with the Peugeot 2008 EV climbing to #13, while the Citroen C5 Aircross PHEV jumped to #15.

The well rounded Mercedes A250e jumped two positions, to #17, and could climb a couple more positions in the last month of the year.

Finally, in #20, we now have the Audi Q5 PHEV, but Audi's SUV position will be hard to secure, as both the Opel Corsa EV and VW e-Up are less than 100 units behind and could steal the last position in the table next month, and lest's not forget the VW ID.3, that also has a shot at joining the table in December. 

Looking at the brands ranking, the leader is, as always, Renault (25%, down 1%), with the runner-up Peugeot (19%) at a safe distance, while the last place in the podium is being disputed by a long list of brands, currently in the hand of Mercedes (5%).

France October 2020

Renault Twingo lands in hot market (12% share!)

If the overall automotive market continues in negative ground (-10% in October), plugin sales continue steaming hot (+360%!), with PHEVs (up 388%, to 9,945 units, a new record) in particular, shining above everyone, allowing them to have a 50% share among plugins, an all-time high for the technology in this BEV-friendly market, and well above the 38% share they have in the whole year. 

These disruptive numbers are also reflecting on the plugin share, as last month it reached 12% (6% BEV), pulling the YTD share to 9.7% (6% BEV), so one can say that the bulk of growth comes from PHEVs. 

Expect the numbers to improve in the remainder of the year, with the 2020 tally probably going north of 10% by year end, which will prelude the upcoming #Disruption '21 - French Edition

Looking at last month Best Sellers, the top 2 were the usual local heroes, but below them, we have the two new local players, both playing on the PHEV field, that explain part of the recent sales surge in that technology, with the Renault Captur PHEV jumping to 3rd, thanks to a record 1,693 registrations, while the Citroen C5 Aircross PHEV ramped up deliveries to 926 units, with the double chevron SUV looking to ramp up production fast and beat the small Renault crossover in the last two stages of the 2020 race. 

We have two models tied in #5, with the Kia Niro EV scoring a record 678 registrations, the same number of units that the new Renault Twingo had in its landing month, a promising result for Renault's much anticipated (and delayed...) new baby.

Speaking of fresh models, a reference also to the VW ID.3, that scored 524 units in its second month in France, which is lower than the 616 units of the landing month. Allocation issues, or is it something else?

On the other hand, Mercedes is busy ramping up deliveries of its extensive PHEV lineup, with 3 models hitting relevant (and record) performances last month: the GLC300e/de SUV scored 513 units, the A250e hatchback had 395 units, while the new GLA250e compact SUV is already at 249 deliveries. 

It took them a while to get their show on the road, but the fact is that Mercedes is now well ahead of its arch-rival BMW, that had their only decent performances coming from Mini, with the Cooper EV scoring a record 425 deliveries, while the Countryman PHEV (225 units), outsold every BMW plugin model available...

Outside this Top 20, a reference to the landing of the SEAT Leon PHEV, with a relevant 184 units, while Jeep's plugin models are starting to gain traction, with the small Renegade PHEV registering 126 units, while the compact Compass PHEV had 125 deliveries.

Looking at the 2020 ranking, while the top 2 remain unattainable, the last position of the podium can changed hands, with the Peugeot 3008 PHEV recovering the 3rd spot (only to lose it next December, the time of the next Tesla high tide on French shores), while below them, the Kia Niro EV surpassed a falling DS 7 PHEV, with the Korean crossover now reaching the 6th position. 

But the Climber of the Month was the Renault Captur PHEV, that shooted 7 positions, into #8, with the small French crossover focused on climbing up the ladder in the final two stages and steal the Best Selling PHEV title from the Peugeot 3008 PHEV. 

On the second half of the table, we have the VW Golf PHEV climbing two spots, to #16, thanks to fresh units coming from the new generation Golf VIII, while below this position, we have four fresh faces in the table:

- The #17 Citroen C5 Aircross PHEV SUV replaced the Jurassic Citroen C-Zero on the table, signaling a new age for the French brand, that i am sure the upcoming C4 EV hatchback will play an important follow up role;

- The Mini Cooper EV joined the table in #18, proving that range isn't everything, especially in the small car category, where price and desirability are also key factors;

- The well rounded Mercedes A250e reached the table, in #19, becoming the second model of the three-pointed-star brand in the Top 20, signaling the rising importance of the German brand on the plugin market;

- Finally, in #20, we have the Opel Corsa EV, the 8th(!) PSA model in the table, with the French conglomerate benefiting from a large collection of brands (Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Opel) to populate the table. 

IF the upcoming PSA-FCA merger manages to successfully integrate the 114 brands it will have under its umbrella, the future Stellantis Group will become a force to be reckoned, as it will have a massive scale and will play relevant roles in several major markets, with the exception being Asia, and most specifically, China, where they lack a competitive local associate.

Looking at the brands ranking, the leader is, as always, Renault (26%, up 1%), with the runner-up Peugeot (19%) at a safe distance, while the last place in the podium is being disputed by a long list of brands (Tesla, Hyundai, Kia, DS), all with 5% share.

As for OEMs, the Renault-Nissan Alliance (30%) has recovered and in now ahead of PSA (28%), while the best foreign OEM is  Hyundai-Kia, with 10% share.

France September 2020

11% share!

If the overall automotive market had a so so month (-3% in September), plugin sales continue steaming hot (+322%!), with PHEVs (up 486%, to 7,867 units) faring better than BEVs, up only 138%, to 10,011 registrations. 

Looking at last month French market fuels split, disruption is happening before our eyes, with petrol dropping 11% in share regarding the same period last year, to 45%, while diesel is also down, albeit a moderate 3%, to 35% share, to the profit of all electrified categories, starting with HEVs, up 6%, from the 5% of last year, to the current 11%, passing by PHEVs that now have 4.7% of the market (up from 3.5% a year ago), and ending with the 6% of BEVs (6% in September 2019), allowing the 2020 PEV share to be at a record 9.5% (10.6% last month), which is a whole different level from the 2.8% of 2019. 

Expect the numbers to improve slightly in the remainder of the year, with the 2020 tally probably reaching 10% until year end, which would not only be a great achievement, but also the prelude for the #Disruption '21 - French Edition

Looking at last month Best Sellers, the top 2 were the usual local heroes, but below them, we have the Tesla Model 3 Best Selling Foreigner, thanks to the expected end of quarter high tide. 

But the real surprises show up just below the podium, with the Renault Captur PHEV jumping to 4th, thanks to a record 899 units, while the much anticipated Volkswagen ID.3 landed straight into #5, thanks to 616 units, with these two set to become regular presences in the Top 5.

Pl	Model	Sales
1	Renault Zoe	2,878
2	Peugeot 208 EV	1,230
3	Tesla Model 3	1,083
4	Renault Captur PHEV	899
5	VW ID.3	616

Looking at the 2020 ranking, while the top 2 remain unattainable, the last position of the podium can changed hands, with the Tesla Model 3 climbing to 3rd, while below them, the Hyundai Kona EV surpassed the DS 7 PHEV, with the Korean crossover now reaching the 5th position. 

The #7 Kia Niro EV also has a shot at surpassing the DS plugin hybrid, with the Kia model now just 48 units below the French SUV.

On the second half of the table, we have a few more position changes, with the Mercedes GLC300e climbing to #11, while the rising star Volvo XC40 PHEV jumped two positions, now at #12.

Another model on the rise is the Peugeot 2008 EV, now #14, while the VW Golf GTE, still with the Golf VII body, jumped to #18, thanks to a record 394 registrations, with the German model benefiting from stock clearance prices, to end its career on a high note. 

The Renault Captur PHEV joined the Top 20, in #15, thanks to a record 899 deliveries, and is now only 78 units behind its Peugeot 2008 EV arch-rival, so expect the Renault crossover to follow the Zoe example and jump ahead of its Peugeot competitor soon.  

Outside the Top 20, there are plenty of models ramping up deliveries, like the Audi Q5 PHEV, that registered 440 units, or the Mercedes A250e (382), while on the BEV side, we should highlight the Opel Corsa EV (400 units), that should climb to the Top 20 soon.

In the brands ranking, the leader is, as always, Renault (25%), with the runner-up Peugeot (19%, down 2%) losing some ground to the #1, while Tesla (6%, up 1%) has surpassed the local maker DS (5%), becoming the new Bronze medalist.

 

France August 2020

Koreans shine in Slow Selling Month

With the overall automotive market back in the Dog House (-20% in August), plugin sales continue immune to the surrounding doom and gloom, with PHEVs (up 269%, to 5,266 units) faring better than BEVs, up only 167%, to 5,590 registrations, allowing plugin hybrids to have 49% of the plugin market last month, above this year average (35%), and quite possibly the highest share ever by plugin hybrids, in this traditionally BEV-friendly market. 

Nevertheless, looking at this year French market fuels split, there are are already some disruptive market share changes, with petrol down 9% in share regarding the same period last year, to 50%, diesel is also down, albeit a more moderate 3%, to 31%, to the profit of all electrified categories, starting with HEVs, up 4%, from the 5% of last year, to the current 9%, passing by PHEVs that now have 3.3% of the market (reaching 5.1% last month), and ending with the 6% of BEVs (5.4% in August), allowing the 2020 PEV share to be at a record 9.3% (10.5% last month), which is a whole different level from the 2.8% of 2019. 

Expect the numbers to improve slightly in the remainder of the year, with the 2020 tally possibly even reaching 10%, which would not only be a great achievement, but also the prelude for the #Disruption '21 - French Edition

Looking at last month Best Sellers, the top 2 were the usual local heroes, but below them, we have last month Best Selling Foreigner, the Kia Niro EV, that despite August being the slowest selling month in France, managed to score a record month(!), with 620 deliveries, allowing the Korean crossover to reach its first first monthly medal in France. 

The remaining positions went for the Peugeot 3008 PHEV, #4 with 583 registrations, while the 5th position went for the Hyundai Kona EV, that thanks to the increased availability coming from the Czech production, allowed Hyundai-Kia to place two models in the French Top 5.

Pl	Model	Sales
1	Renault Zoe	1,618
2	Peugeot 208 EV	697
3	Kia Niro EV	620
4	Peugeot 3008 PHEV	583
5	Hyundai Kona EV	520

Looking at the 2020 ranking, while the top 2 remain unattainable, the last position in the podium can still change hands, while the 3rd placed Peugeot 3008 PHEV has finally distanced itself, in the PHEV category, from its DS 7 PHEV arch-rival, the #4 Tesla Model 3 can still steal the Bronze medal from the French crossover, with 369 units separating both models, and the Californian expecting to have a high tide next month, we could see it overcome the difference and surpass the high-riding Pug. 

Outside the podium, a mention for the Koreans Hyundai Kona EV and Kia Niro EV, as the Hyundai model is now just 6 units beind the #5 DS 7 PHEV, so it should surpass the French SUV next month, while the Kia also has a shot at surpassing the DS plugin hybrid in September, especially if it continues to score record performances

On the second half of the table we have the only position changes of the month, with the Mercedes GLC300e climbing to #12, switching positions with the now retired Citroen C-Zero dinosaur, while the rising star Volvo XC40 PHEV climbed another position, now staying at #14.

A surprise appearance on the table is the VW Golf GTE, that joined the table at #20, displacing the BMW i3. This is still the Golf VII body, not the new Golf VIII, which means this end-of-career peak could only be possible by fire-sale prices, something we knew Volkswagen had been doing in the past few months with the e-Golf BEV, but apparently that was also the case with Golf GTE, at least in France. 

But this should be a temporary presence, in fact, there are two other models less than 100 units behind the VW hatchback, as the #21 BMW i3 is just 17 units behind, while its British cousin, the Mini Cooper EV, is #22, with 1,025 units, and the Mini hot hatch is on the rise, having scored a record 244 units performance in August.  

Speaking of future new entries to the Top 20, we should mention the #23 Opel Corsa EV, that scored 157 registrations in August, and the #24 Mercedes A250e, that is less than 200 units from the Top 20 and had 260 deliveries last month, highlighting Mercedes good moment, not only the GLC300e is on the rise, but the A250e has also good perspectives to reach the Top 20 soon, not mentioning the strong landings in August of the CLA250e (118 deliveries) and the B250e (81). Amazingly, Mercedes is currently the Best Selling German brand in the French plugin market...

Speaking of which...In the brands ranking, the leader is, as always, Renault (25%), with Peugeot (21%) firm in the 2nd spot, while a sliding DS (5%, down 1%) is in the 3rd spot, just ahead of Tesla (also 5%).