New passenger car sales in France surged 37.7pc to 182,624 units in March, compared with 132,637 units in the prior month, according to the latest data published by Comité des Constructeurs Français d’Automobiles (CCFA) on April 1.
While French new car registrations spiked 191.4pc compared with volumes recorded in the same month the prior year, sales in March 2020 were themselves decimated by the imposition of nationwide lockdowns.
Despite this “recovery” in March, national sales volumes were still 19.1pc below pre-pandemic levels given that French car showrooms and dealerships remained under partial lockdown with sales and vehicle deliveries by appointment only.
Looking forward, French new car sales are likely to plummet in April following the imposition of a third nationwide lockdown which will result in the closure of all non-essential shops four weeks from April 3.
This will no doubt severely impact new car production, in France and from other supplying nations, apparent steel consumption, vehicle scrappage rates, and overall auto body ferrous scrap shredder feedstock.