The French automotive market fell by 7.83% in 2022, the upturn in recent months not having made it possible to compensate for global delivery difficulties and shortages of electronic chips.
In total, 1,529,035 new passenger cars were put into circulation last year, compared to 1,659,003 in 2021, compared to 2.2 million in 2019before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to figures published on Sunday by the Automotive Platform (PFA), which represents manufacturers and equipment manufacturers.
After a disastrous 2020, with closed dealerships and a sluggish economy, the sector had not rebounded in 2021, and it has relapsed in 2022despite four months of growth in the second half.
“We are structurally in a market that has fallen by a third in volume since 2019, due to a succession of crises“, said François Roudier, head of communication of the PFA.
Ces seizures “cumulate”he explained, listing “the problem of the availability of electronic components, the difficulties of delivering vehicles for lack of drivers, which were accentuated with the war in Ukraine, the increase in the cost of materials and too expensive fuel“.
The used car marketwhich took off in 2021, is also down sharply by 13% with 5.26 million units, according to provisional data from the firm NGC Data published by l’Argus.