France Has Best Year For Car Sales Since 2001
Just over 2.25 million cars were sold in France in 2009, based on new car registrations, the best year for sales in the country since 2001, a French business newspaper reports in its editions Monday.
Financial daily Les Echos said sales in December alone were up 40% on the year, as car buyers rushed to take advantage of government incentives to scrap old cars to buy new. The incentives were put in place a year ago to help spur car sales to help the money-losing French auto industry and to spur economic growth. They will be reduced from EUR1,000 per car as of Jan. 1 to EUR700 and then fall to EUR500 next July.
The newspaper didn't cite sources. A copy of the story was made available in advance by Les Echos.
French manufacturers and dealers have also been offering promotions to attract customers into the showrooms, and the government also has been offering incentives for buyers to seek out low-polluting cars.
The size of the increase in December was magnified by the fact that sales in December 2008 were depressed substantially as the global economic recession was deepening.
Les Echos said French car makers Renault SA (RNO.FR) and PSA Peugeot Citroen SA (UG.FR) were bolstered by the surge in sales.
Source: France Has Best Year For Car Sales Since 2001
Financial daily Les Echos said sales in December alone were up 40% on the year, as car buyers rushed to take advantage of government incentives to scrap old cars to buy new. The incentives were put in place a year ago to help spur car sales to help the money-losing French auto industry and to spur economic growth. They will be reduced from EUR1,000 per car as of Jan. 1 to EUR700 and then fall to EUR500 next July.
The newspaper didn't cite sources. A copy of the story was made available in advance by Les Echos.
French manufacturers and dealers have also been offering promotions to attract customers into the showrooms, and the government also has been offering incentives for buyers to seek out low-polluting cars.
The size of the increase in December was magnified by the fact that sales in December 2008 were depressed substantially as the global economic recession was deepening.
Les Echos said French car makers Renault SA (RNO.FR) and PSA Peugeot Citroen SA (UG.FR) were bolstered by the surge in sales.
Source: France Has Best Year For Car Sales Since 2001
