Shares of recent automobiles are parked in loads, at Walon France car transport firm in Hordain, northern France, Could 26, 2020. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol
PARIS, Aug 1 (Reuters) – The worldwide chip scarcity and a brand new surge in COVID-19 infections are weighing on the prospects for a powerful rebound by the French automobile market, the carmakers’ foyer CCFA-PFA stated on Sunday.
The French affiliation was till now betting on automobile gross sales progress within the vary of 9-10%, however that might be toned down, a spokesperson for CCFA stated.
“We expect it is likely to be tough to realize 1.8 million of gross sales this 12 months,” the spokesperson stated.
Final 12 months, new French passenger automobile registrations fell to 1.65 million from 2.21 million in 2019 because the coronavirus pandemic introduced automobile factories to a halt.
An absence of essential semiconductors and uncertainty surrounding the novel coronavirus pandemic are affecting most automakers, together with French carmaker Renault and its Franco-Italian arch-rival Stellantis .
New automobile registrations in France plummeted by about 35% in July from the identical interval a 12 months in the past, based on knowledge issued by CCFA-PFA late on Saturday.
Registrations of recent passenger autos totalled 115,713 final month, CCFA stated. The French automobile market is up by about 16% over the primary seven months of the 12 months in contrast with the identical interval in 2020, the affiliation stated.
Reporting by Gilles Guillaume;
Writing by Mathieu Rosemain;
Enhancing by Louise Heavens and Toby Chopra
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