Renault & Tesla Shine In France — CleanTechnica September EV Sales Report
Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!
The French plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market recorded 5,553 registrations in June, up 46% year over year (YoY). The double-digit growth is even more significant when we realize that the overall vehicle market remained stagnant (-1%).
The September result (2.8%) placed the 2019 PEV share at 2.6%, with fully electric vehicles (BEVs) alone having 1.9% share.
With BEVs (+57%) growing faster than PHEVs (+31%), all-electric vehicles represented 76% of all plug-in sales last month, above the 2019 average (72%), which means that BEVs have the upper hand over PHEVs.
The BEV momentum is reflected in the September best selling models, with the Renault Zoe scoring 1,568 units and managing to grow 6% YoY, an impressive performance considering the model is in a mid-life changing cycle and the fact that EV versions of the Peugeot 208 and other popular models are just a couple of months away.
Elsewhere, the Tesla Model 3 had another high tide, reaching another 1,000/month performance in September. The 1,061 units of last month were in line with the other peaks of the Tesla midsize sedan in France.
The surprise of the month was the Volvo XC60 PHEV reaching the 5th spot, with 230 registrations. The Swedish SUV actually beat the Outlander PHEV and won the best selling plug-in hybrid trophy this month, a rare accomplishment for any PHEV. A fluke, or is Volvo’s midsizer going after the aging Japanese SUV? To be continued…
In a market known for its stability, the main news was the Volvo XC60 PHEV climbing to #7, while the Range Rover Sport PHEV cruise ship SUV was up to #11 and two other plug-in hybrids also climbed positions, with the BMW 225xe climbing to #14 and the Hyundai Ioniq PHEV to #15.
Surprisingly, the Jurassic Citroen C-Zero surpassed the Mercedes E300e/de twins, reaching the 17th spot.
The Tesla Model S is in #20, with 401 deliveries this year, while the Model X is in #23, with 341 units, 69 of them last month. It won’t be easy for the Tesla SUV to rejoin the top 20 ranking, as there are plenty of new models outside the top 20 with big ambitions, like the #24 Hyundai Ioniq Electric, which registered 72 units last month, and the #25 Kia Soul EV, which delivered 90 units in September, the nameplate’s best result in 20 months. Plus, there’s the fresh BMW 330e (68 units last month) and Audi Q5 PHEV (67 units).
In the brand ranking, Renault (31%) continued in the leading position, while Tesla (13%) was firm in the 2nd spot, all while Kia and Nissan (both with 7%) and Volvo and BMW (both 6%) are all running a tight race for the last place on the podium.
Chip in a few dollars a month to help support independent cleantech coverage that helps to accelerate the cleantech revolution!
Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Sign up for our daily newsletter for 15 new cleantech stories a day. Or sign up for our weekly one if daily is too frequent.
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.
CleanTechnica's Comment Policy
