New car registrations in France declined to 115,713 units in July, down by about 35pc compared to the prior year, according to CCFA-PFA. The global shortage of semiconductors and the uncertainty regarding the COVID-19 pandemic have limited the chances of a speedy recovery in the French car market, noted the French carmakers’ association.
CCFA-PFA had previously estimated an annual car sales growth range of 9-10pc but now cautions that actual figures could be below that. In 2020, new passenger car registrations in France fell from 1.65mn to 2.21mn units in 2019 as the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
In the first seven months of this year (Jan-July), registration of new vehicles climbed by 16pc from the prior-year period.
The decline of new car registrations is a sign that post-pandemic recovery in the European auto industry is slower than the rebound seen in China and the US, as total car sales in the region plummeted by almost 2mn in H1 2021 compared to 2019.