Only Peugeot partially escaped the rout 1

Need more than the spotlight of the world of Paris and an avalanche of new models to revive the French automobile market. With a decline in sales of 13.3 in raw data from the same month of last year, September has been strictly disastrous in France, for most manufacturers. For two of the three brands French who sells this week in the main hall of world porte de Versailles, Renault ( 22.1) and Citroën ( 21.6), the comparison with last year is even more unfavourable. In total, national builders fell by 15.5 in the month of receipt and their share of market in accumulated since the beginning of the year (January to September) only 54.8 versus 56.8 one year ago. Only Peugeot partially escaped the rout ( 1.9) through the rise in the 207 new regime. "Do not insult the figures: September is a French frankly bad month for the automotive market", said Manuel Gomez, President of the Committee of French automakers (CCFA).

Little optimism

Difficult to find rational arguments to this brutal stall besides the classical questions of households on the ups and downs of prices at the pump and the evolution of their purchasing power. However, the analysis of September must be strongly relative, because the basis of comparison of the same month of 2005, with its 165.700 cars sold against 143.600 last month, was abnormally high, spiked at the time by the launch of the Renault Clio 3 (which became head of domestic sales by model) and the lifting of the Citroën C3. From previous years, September 2006 is admittedly declining, but in much less high proportions. A bit of back-up is required, so that, since the beginning of the year, registrations in France are down 3.1 in raw data and only 2.1 at comparable working day.

The symbolic bar of the 2 million private vehicles in the domestic market will be reached this year "To do this, it must be sold 482.000 cars here in late December." "With an average of 160,000 units per month, should achieve", extrapolates Manuel Gomez, however, who refuses to show too much optimism. For him, "the global effect" will be in the best cases, marginal and a month of positive October is not part of its forecasts.

Fall of Nissan

By manufacturer, practically person immune to the rout. Because new model, Renault has long used a commercial decline in its first market observers, but it is even more offset by the takeoff of the Dacia Logan. In September, declines vary between 14 for space and 58 for the Modus! The diamond group wants to believe that he masters this skid, worrying for the fill of its plants: "two-thirds of the decline of our European sales are related to the voluntary reduction of sales to rental and demonstration vehicles, while a third party affects the other channels, including retail sales," says Patrick Blain, Deputy Director General of Renault in charge of the commercial. What it may, by choosing to not damage its profitability with little profit sales, the brand of Carlos Ghosn has lost in a year 2.6 points of market share.

Ultimately, apart from the special case of the Fiat ( 8.2 with the Grande Punto only) group and the German BMW ( 5.2) and Audi ( 3.5), red is placed in everyone. The Ford brand slips by 23.9, 17.7 Opel, Volkswagen of 9.3. But the monthly Palm returned to Nissan, the Japanese ally of Renault, which force to specialize on models shifted "of niche", fall of 44.5 and 26.4 since the beginning of the year.