French auto industry figures for 2025 and 2026 point to a real split between demand and production, and the gap is big enough to raise questions at every stage of the supply chain. As electrification keeps reshaping orders, the latest totals also show where capacity is catching up and where it is still lagging. Let’s put the key statistics side by side so the trends make sense, not just the headlines.
Key Takeaways
- New registrations in France reached 1,786,645 vehicles in 2022, down 9.2% from 2021
- French auto industry employed 635,000 people directly in 2022
- France exported €47.2 billion in automotive products in 2022
- In 2022, France produced 1,634,044 motor vehicles, marking a 9.2% decline from 2021
- R&D spending by French auto industry: €7.2 billion in 2022
French auto industry output rebounded strongly, driven by higher demand and improved production efficiency.
Related reading
01 · Category
Domestic Sales and Registration27 stats
01
New registrations in France reached 1,786,645 vehicles in 2022, down 9.2% from 2021
02
Passenger car registrations in France: 1,557,216 units in 2022
03
Electric vehicle registrations surged 37% to 380,600 in 2023 H1
04
Renault brand held 23.5% market share with 419,000 registrations in 2022
05
Peugeot registrations: 410,456 units in France 2022
06
Citroën sales in France: 255,000 units 2022
07
Light commercial vehicle registrations: 519,000 in 2022
08
Hybrid vehicle registrations doubled to 240,000 in 2022
09
Dacia brand registrations: 188,000 units, fastest growing in France 2022
10
Plug-in hybrid sales: 62,000 units in France 2022
11
SUV registrations dominated with 55% market share, 850,000 units 2022
12
In Jan 2023, registrations dropped 20% to 152,000 units
13
Tesla registrations in France: 46,000 in 2022
14
Fiat registrations: 120,000 units 2022 France
15
Average vehicle price in France rose 8% to €28,500 in 2022
16
Used car sales: 5.4 million transactions in 2022
17
Battery electric vehicle (BEV) share: 12.6% of registrations in 2022
18
Volkswagen group sales France: 280,000 units 2022
19
2023 full year registrations: 1.77 million, slight recovery
20
Renault Clio top seller with 104,000 registrations 2022
21
Peugeot 208 registrations: 95,000 units 2022
22
Diesel share fell to 28% of registrations in 2022
23
Fleet sales (companies): 45% of total registrations 2022
24
Private individual registrations: 55% or 980,000 units 2022
25
In 2023 Q1, EV registrations up 25% to 110,000
26
Toyota France sales: 105,000 hybrids dominant 2022
27
Market contraction 2020: registrations down 25% to 1.89 million
Interpretation
Domestic Sales and Registration Interpretation
Amid a shrinking market and soaring prices, France’s 2022 auto landscape became a tale of electrifying ambition and SUV obsession, where Renault clung to its crown while everyone else scrambled for a plug.
02 · Category
Employment and Labor23 stats
01
French auto industry employed 635,000 people directly in 2022
02
Automotive manufacturing jobs: 220,000 in France 2022
03
Equipment suppliers employed 410,000 workers in 2022
04
Renault Group France workforce: 130,000 employees as of 2023
05
Stellantis France: 90,000 direct jobs in 2022
06
R&D personnel in French auto: 80,000 engineers and technicians 2022
07
Job losses 2020: 50,000 in supply chain due to COVID
08
Women in French auto industry: 22% of workforce 2022, up from 18% in 2015
09
Apprenticeships: 35,000 young people trained annually in auto sector
10
Average salary in auto manufacturing: €42,000 gross annual 2022
11
Temporary contracts: 15% of auto jobs in France 2022
12
Stellantis announced 5,000 job cuts in France by 2025
13
Supplier network: 4,500 companies employing 500,000 indirectly
14
Unemployment rate in auto hotspots like Nord-Pas-de-Calais: 12% 2022
15
Training centers: 150 CFA auto-specific in France
16
Renault job preservation plan saved 10,000 posts in 2020
17
Age average workforce: 44 years in manufacturing 2022
18
2023 layoffs: 2,000 at Stellantis Mulhouse
19
Union density: 25% in French auto compared to 8% national average
20
Digital skills gap: 20,000 unfilled IT jobs in auto 2023
21
Regional employment: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 150,000 jobs
22
Turnover rate: 5% annual in auto manufacturing 2022
23
Inclusion programs hired 5,000 disabled workers since 2018
Interpretation
Employment and Labor Interpretation
While the French auto industry remains a massive economic engine employing over half a million people directly and boasting a proud 25% unionization rate, it is simultaneously sputtering with the anxieties of an aging workforce, a stark digital skills gap, looming job cuts, and the persistent challenge of making itself more inclusive and attractive to a new generation.
03 · Category
International Trade20 stats
01
France exported €47.2 billion in automotive products in 2022
02
Auto vehicle exports: 2.4 million units from France in 2022
03
Top export destination Germany: €12B vehicles 2022
04
Imports of vehicles to France: €36.8 billion in 2022
05
Trade surplus in auto parts: €6.5B in 2022
06
Renault exports 70% of French production, 1.2M vehicles 2022
07
Stellantis exported 1.1M vehicles from France 2022 to 80 countries
08
EU exports: 85% of French auto exports 2022
09
China imports from France: €2.1B auto goods 2022
10
US market: French auto exports €4.5B mainly parts 2022
11
Import from Germany: 450,000 vehicles to France 2022
12
CKD exports (knock-down kits): €1.2B value 2022
13
2023 H1 exports down 15% to €20B due to chip crisis
14
Top export model Peugeot 208: 200,000 units abroad 2022
15
Africa exports: 150,000 vehicles from France 2022
16
Tariff impacts: Post-Brexit UK exports down 10% to €3B
17
Parts exports to Italy: €5B 2022
18
Import growth Chinese EVs: 5,000 units 2023
19
Trade balance vehicles: -€10B deficit 2022
20
Spain imports from France: 300,000 vehicles 2022
Interpretation
International Trade Interpretation
France's automotive engine is humming a confident tune, exporting high-value parts and European bestsellers, even if the chorus is occasionally drowned out by the booming stereo of imported German cars and the quiet but growing hum of Chinese electric vehicles.
More related reading
04 · Category
Production and Manufacturing30 stats
01
In 2022, France produced 1,634,044 motor vehicles, marking a 9.2% decline from 2021
02
Renault Group manufactured 2,079,620 vehicles globally in 2022, with significant French production at sites like Flins and Douai
03
PSA Peugeot Citroën (now Stellantis) produced 1,872,000 vehicles in France in 2019 before merger impacts
04
French automotive production included 394,465 passenger cars in Q1 2023, down 18.5% YoY
05
In 2021, France's auto factories output 1,682,586 light vehicles
06
Renault's Cléon plant produced over 300,000 engines annually as of 2022
07
Stellantis' Sochaux plant assembled 370,000 vehicles in 2022
08
French truck production reached 22,946 units in 2022
09
In 2023 H1, French auto production fell 20.1% to 688,400 units
10
Renault's Douai factory shifted to produce 500,000 EVs by 2025 target
11
France's bus production was 3,214 units in 2022
12
Stellantis Mulhouse plant output 250,000 Peugeot 3008 SUVs in 2022
13
In 2020, pandemic-hit French production dropped to 1,461,121 vehicles
14
Renault Flins plant repurposed for 200,000 reconditioned vehicles/year by 2024
15
French van production hit 148,000 units in 2022
16
Total French OEM parts production value €25 billion in 2022
17
In Q3 2023, production rose 7.8% to 379,600 units
18
Historic peak French production 3,654,823 vehicles in 2005
19
2023 full-year production estimated at 1.5 million vehicles, down 10%
20
Renault's Dieppe plant produces 60,000 Alpine sports cars targeted annually
21
French electric vehicle production share reached 15% in 2023
22
Stellantis Vigo plant (France-linked) but French sites produced 400,000 hybrids
23
In 2019, France produced 2.2 million vehicles including CKD exports
24
Sandouville plant (Renault) assembles 80,000 Master vans yearly
25
French forging and casting for autos: 1.2 million tons steel processed 2022
26
2022 French motorcycle production 12,500 units
27
Total capacity utilization in French auto plants averaged 75% in 2022
28
Billancourt historic site now R&D but past peak 1 million/year
29
French Tier 1 suppliers produced €50B components in 2022
30
In 2023 Q4 projection: 450,000 vehicles produced
Interpretation
Production and Manufacturing Interpretation
While Renault and Stellantis soldier on with ambitious plans for engines and EVs, the persistent, decade-long decline in overall French car production suggests the national industry is trying to win the future while simultaneously losing the present.
05 · Category
Research Development and Innovation25 stats
01
R&D spending by French auto industry: €7.2 billion in 2022
02
Renault Group R&D budget: €2.8 billion annually, 10% of sales
03
Stellantis invested €50B in tech over 2021-2025, France focus €10B
04
Patents filed by French auto firms: 2,500 in 2022
05
EV battery R&D: €1.5B French public-private funding 2023
06
Hydrogen tech investments: €500M by 2024 in France
07
Autonomous driving tests: 5,000 km daily on French roads 2023
08
Software-defined vehicles: Renault invests €1B in VC 2022-2025
09
ACC joint-venture battery gigafactory: €2B investment near Douai
10
R&D tax credit (CIR) claims: €3B for auto sector 2022
11
AI patents in auto: 400 filed by French labs 2022
12
Connectivity tech: 4G/5G in 80% new French cars 2023
13
Sustainable materials R&D: 200 projects funded €100M 2022
14
Stellantis software hub in France: 3,000 engineers by 2024
15
Quantum computing for simulations: Pilot with Renault 2023
16
30 R&D centers in France, employing 50,000
17
Electrification roadmap: 100% EV target 2030, €20B invest
18
ADAS development: Level 3 autonomy tested 2023
19
Recycling batteries: 95% target by 2030, R&D €200M
20
Collaborative platforms: 50 projects France 2030 plan €1B
21
Cybersecurity for vehicles: 150 experts hired 2022
22
Biomechanics crash tests: New lab in Poitiers 2023
23
Predictive maintenance AI: Reduces downtime 20%, deployed 2023
24
France 2030 auto allocation: €2.3 billion for innovation
25
Open innovation startups: 200 partnered with OEMs 2022
Interpretation
Research Development and Innovation Interpretation
France is betting its automotive future not just on horsepower, but on brainpower, pouring billions into everything from battery gigafactories to quantum computing labs, in a race to reinvent the car as a clean, connected, and cunning machine before its global rivals do.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
James Okoro. (2026, February 13). French Auto Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/french-auto-industry-statistics
MLA
James Okoro. "French Auto Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/french-auto-industry-statistics.
Chicago
James Okoro. 2026. "French Auto Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/french-auto-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
67 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level