French sales fall by 20% in March as shortages continue

PARIS -- New-car registrations fell by 20 percent in March compared with the same month in 2021, trade group PFA said, as production constraints linked to parts supplies continued. Dacia, Tesla, Kia and Hyundai were the only volume brands to record increases.

There were 147,079 sales in March, PFA said. Through the first three months of the year, sales are down by 17 percent.

Dacia had a 32 percent gain for the month following the introduction of the Jogger compact crossover in March; Jogger sales of 1,895 were almost identical to Dacia’s increase. Tesla sales rose by 7.1 percent; Kia was up 6.5 percent; and Hyundai sales rose by 1.9 percent. 

Notable sales leaders included the Renault Arkana compact coupe-style crossover, imported from South Korea, which was in 10th place for the first quarter, and the Tesla Model 3, in 12th place.

Powertrain mix continued to evolve. Gasoline was at 38 percent for the first quarter, down from 44 percent in 2021, and diesel was at 17 percent compared with 24 percent. Full-electric vehicles had a 12 percent share compared with 6.9 percent, while the total of full- and plug-in hybrids reached 28 percent. The share of PHEVs held steady at 8 percent compared with 7.1 percent in 2021.