The number of newly registered Volvo cars in France increased dramatically during the first quarter. Although the overall market shrank by 2.84 percent, sales of Volvo cars rose by a massive 33 percent compared with the same period last year.
“Volvo has a new and exciting product range which attracts customers on the French market, and we are noting continued healthy demand,” observes Maria Stenström, President of Volvo Automobiles France.
On a market dominated by small cars, it is hardly surprising that Volvo’s smallest models, the S40 and V40, sell best of all. The new S40 and V50 are not included in the latest figures since the dealers began registering orders for these models at the end of March. The outlook for the new models, however, is excellent.
“We have had two very good advertising campaigns with “The Mystery of Dalarö” and “Route V50”. They have been extremely well received here in France,” says Hélène Laoudi, PR manager at Volvo Automobiles France.
All told, 506,884 new cars were registered in France during the first quarter of this year. Of these, 2,735 carried the Volvo badge. In March alone, 1,086 Volvos were registered, an increase of 56 percent compared with the same period in 2003. This is the best performance for March in 15 years.
Diesel power is popular on the French market – not least among Volvo customers. 68.5 percent of all new cars registered during the first quarter were diesel-powered. Of all the Volvos sold during the same period, 87.3 percent had diesel engines.
