Automotive: France’s Electric Champion Stellantis

Stellantis, the global group created in 2021 from the merger of PSA and Fiat Chrysler, is celebrating in France. It has established itself as the French market leader with a market share of 33% in 2022, i.e. around 621,000 registered vehicles. But above all in the market for electric vehicles (100% electric and plug-in hybrids), the group shows good results. This booming segment, still closed ten years ago (less than 1% of registrations), has become a new Eldorado for manufacturers. It accounted for 11% of sales in 2021 and 16.5% last year. Stellantis monopolizes 29.3% market share there in 2022 with 101,613 registrations in 2022 and is 10 points ahead of its second rival Renault.

The diamond brand, however, led the way in electric vehicles, pioneering a decade ago, but now the Renault Zoé seems to have dusted off and isn’t even in the top five electric vehicle sales of 2022. Consolation, the Renault Group saves honor with its Dacia Spring – the cheapest 100% electric on the market – on the second rung of the podium and its new Mégane E-Tech in fourth position. The highly anticipated upcoming electric R5, slated for release in 2024, should also “provide the opportunity to challenge pole position again in the coming years,” insists the brand’s engineer.

Peugeot e-208 box

“Stellantis is the leader and Peugeot confirms its leadership,” said Guillaume Cousy, head of Stellantis France, for his part, emphasizing “electrification, which is absolutely essential in our trajectory and our offensive.” For example, in 2023 the group plans to increase the autonomy (about 400 km) for some of its models. And Carlos Tavares, the general manager of the group, should announce it this Wednesday, during keynote address (main speech) at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Tech’s annual mass event in Las Vegas, USA.

Stellantis’ strong performance in the French EV market in 2022 is mainly driven by the Peugeot e-208, which continues to gain momentum with sales up 8% compared to 2021. Recall that the first step of the podium was occupied by the Tesla Model 3 in 2021, dropped to third place this year.

But the electric Fiat 500, “which innovates with a new phone-pack-inspired subscription system with per-kilometer calculation formulas,” emphasizes Sandrine Bouvier, manager of electrical conversions at Stellantis, “is also particularly appealing, in particular to audiences in their forties.” .

The EV craze is expected to further increase in 2023, driven by increased supply, new models, improved public charging infrastructure… and “exceptional” regulatory restrictions such as the establishment of a Low Emission Zone (ZFE). Therefore, the struggle of builders is just beginning.