ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ

Like many other industries, the automotive industry in France underwent an economic downturn following the impacts of the global health crisis caused by the COVID-19 virus. Figures started to decrease drastically as of February 2020 to reach only * new car registrations in April 2020, compared to ** new registrations in the same month of the previous year. However, the trend rapidly reversed to return to better results in the second half of 2020.

2020, the year when sales of cars with alternative engines took off

Although new registrations of diesel and gasoline cars were still in the majority in France in 2020, they were nonetheless in sharp decline, to the benefit of alternative engines. Non-rechargeable hybrid automobiles were the most numerous to enter the French car fleet in 2020. However, new registrations of plug-in hybrids showed the best growth between 2019 and 2020. All in all, the growing importance of alternative engines could be seen as a further step towards more environmentally-friendly mobility.

A breath of fresh air for the planet

For the first time since the birth of the industrial revolution, worldwide carbon dioxide emissions are expected to decrease in 2020. This is a direct consequence of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, which has not only slowed down, even stopped, the activity of many industries but also drastically reduced travel. In fact, road transportation has been restricted within and between countries, which could lower passenger road vehicle emissions far below the norm of recent years.