You have to go as far as 8th place in the European Top 10 to find the first French electric car sold in 2022: the Peugeot e-208. For what ?
The figures of 2022 sales of electric cars in Europe fell on February 7, 2023. We find at the top of the ranking of American cars, German brands, but you have to go lower in the ranking to find the French references.
The first French electric cars are in 8th, 12th and 14th place in the 2022 registration ranking in the various European countries.
France represents 41% of European sales of the Peugeot e-208
46,616 Peugeot e-208s were sold in Europe in 2022. A result that places it in 8th place in the European ranking, far behind the Teslas and the first Volkswagens. When we push the calculation a little further, we realize that the model is greatly supported by national sales.
The Peugeot e-208 is the best-selling electric car in France in 2022 with 19,219 registrations. The calculation is quickly made: France represents 41% of recorded European sales.
It must be said that other European countries, such as Germany, favor its close cousin, the Opel Corsa-e, which has 27,938 registrations. This somewhat limits the success of this model. It is true that the two cars are frankly twins, rather than cousins, so it is sometimes the network of distributors that will make the difference for sales.
Best entry in the ranking for the Renault Mégane
On the Renault side, there is a somewhat surprising element: the Zoé still arrives ahead of the new Mégane e-tech for 2022. In France, the balance of power between Renault’s former success and the new generation has reversed . At the European level, on the other hand, Renault Zoé comes in 12th position with 35,706 registrations, while having reduced its sales by 50% compared to 2021.
The Renault Mégane e-tech is in 14th place with 32,641 registrations. That’s not so bad for a model that arrived on the market during the year. It is also the best entry in the ranking, ahead of the BMW i4 or Volkswagen ID.5, which suggests a better result for the year 2023. However, here again, it is the French market which carries for the Mégane e-tech currently in this position with nearly 48% of recorded sales. We hope that other countries will be seduced by the French car for the coming year. She deserves it.
However, mixed results for French references
We are far from wanting to do “French bashing”, but these results still raise questions. Especially when we see the Korean brands, Hyundai and Kia, pass us by. What is missing from our French models to impose themselves more widely on the European continent? These models work well on the national market, but they struggle a little to seduce other countries, especially in the face of the two steamrollers that are Tesla and the brands of the Volkswagen group, which are more expensive.
Position of French cars in the European Top 50:
| Stance 2022 | Model name | Registrations in 2022 | Movement in the ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Peugeot e-208 | 46,616 | + 1 spot |
| 12 | Renault Zoe | 35,706 | – 10 seats |
| 14 | Renault Megane | 32,641 | novelty |
| 22 | Peugeot e-2008 | 27,906 | – 7 seats |
| 24 | Renault Twingo | 26,854 | – 6 seats |
| 32 | Citroen e-C4 | 19,993 | steady |
French brands will hardly be able to beat Tesla, but can they challenge Volkswagen? The Fiat 500, which is part of the Stellantis group, stands up to the Volkswagens by positioning itself between the ID.4 and the ID.3. So it seems to be possible. So, is it a positioning problem? Performance? Of distribution ? We remain convinced that France can do better.
