After several catastrophic months, the automobile trade is restarting at full speed in France, thanks to the deconfinement and the purchase premiums announced by the government, but the sector remains worried about the future.
"It starts very, very, very strong, whether on the new vehicle or the used vehicle," says Quentin Barbier, sales manager at the Hyundai dealership in Chambourcy (Yvelines). "There are more people than normal, it's impressive," he says. The Korean brand reports having beaten its record for orders in France in the first week of June, 40% of which for electrified vehicles (hybrids, plug-in hybrids or 100% electric).
Disenchantment for public transportation
The good dynamics are general. At Renault, there is also a “strong recovery in commercial activity”. The top-of-the-range brand BMW records since the beginning of the month "orders taken higher than last year". For Vincent Salimon, boss of the French subsidiary of the German manufacturer, "the health crisis is increasing the use of the car because many people are hesitant to take public transport".
In addition, many French people who usually spend their holidays abroad will stay in France this summer. "We have a lot of prospects who invest in a car to go on vacation," says Vincent Salimon.
A month of June equivalent to last year
New car registrations collapsed with the paralysis of trade caused by the coronavirus pandemic: -72% in March, -90% in April, then -50% in May with deconfinement which helped save the end of the month . The first week of June still shows a decline of 30% over a year, despite a doubling of the volumes of electrified vehicles, according to figures from AAA Data compiled by AFP. But the good order intake will be reflected in deliveries in the coming weeks.
The strengthening of ecological bonuses and scrappage bonuses, announced on May 26 by President Emmanuel Macron, "works", welcomes Francis Bartholomé, President of the National Council of Automobile Professions (CNPA). “The results are at the maximum of what we could have hoped for. There is traffic in the dealerships, it concerns all territories and all brands, ”he told AFP.
On the basis of the first ten days, June 2020 will be equivalent to June 2018 and June 2019 in order intake, estimates Francis Bartholomé. A few weeks ago, "if we had been told that, we would have signed immediately".
Negative signals for the year
"We hope it will last. We are not sure but we think so, ”says Vincent Salimon. He points out that the strong recovery of the automobile in China, the first center of the Covid-19 pandemic but also the first country to recover, is now lasting. In addition, the reinforcement of ecological bonuses for the purchase of electrified vehicles will be implemented until the end of December and should continue to carry the market.
But this recovery, "it may be short term," tempers François Roudier, of the Committee of French Automobile Manufacturers (CCFA). The delay accumulated in the spring will not be made up, warns the CCFA, which forecasts a fall in registrations "between -20% and -30%" over the full year.
These concerns are supported by opinion barometers. In late May, nearly 40% of people with a car purchase project said they wanted to postpone it for a year, according to Nova Consulting. "It's an unprecedented level" even if the rate has dropped by 20 points since the end of March, director general Nicolas Harlé told AFP. According to him, "the battle for the recovery of the automobile is not yet won".
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