According to the Automotive Platform, sales of new cars in France fell by 10% in May. Despite two days of increased activity, the sector saw 126,813 registered cars, a 10.09% decrease over a year. This month is the 12th consecutive month of market decline.
Spring is supposed to be a peak season for car sales. However, the results are not encouraging. Francois Roudier, of the Automotive Platform which connects manufacturers, commented that deliveries are slowing down because of a shortage of semiconductors. The market saw a 16.92% drop in sales, with 600,897 registered vehicles. From January to May, sales of light commercial vehicles dropped by nearly 25% to 147 161 registrations. He said, "It's difficult to see how we could recover the vehicles lost in half." The Covid-19 could make 2022 worse than 2020.
The automotive market in Europe and America has been limited since the spring 2021 due to a variety of logistical issues, including a lack of semiconductors. These electronic chips are mainly made in Asia and are crucial for the production of laptops and telephones. However, they also play a key role in cars that incorporate more technology.
This is a good situation for hybrid and plug-in engine sales, which accounted for 28.6% of all sales in the first five months. The drop in deliveries has affected all manufacturers, even though their order books remain full. Stellantis, market leader, is down 22.15% from the beginning of the year. Citroen, Peugeot, and the Renault groups are all down sharply. The Volkswagen group is down 22.12%, while the Volkswagen group is down 15.45%. The same goes for BMW, Toyota and Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, and Ford. Hyundai-Kia is the only exception to the Korean rule with sales increasing 7.70% from the beginning of 2022.
