France is among the many European markets that greatly helped Tesla grow its fleet in 2015. The automaker delivered a total of 50,580 cars globally last year, which represents an overall 60% increase over 2014, while the company’s deliveries grew 115% in France in 2015.
The french EV market is dominated by the Renault-Nissan alliance, which delivered 12,629 battery-powered vehicles in 2015: 10,407 Renault Zoe’s and 2,222 Nissan LEAF’s.
Over 22,000 electric vehicles were delivered in France last year based on registration data. The market grew 47.5% over the previous year.
Tesla’s Model S ended the year as the fifth best-selling EV in the country with 708 units, behind the Zoe and LEAF as previously mentioned, but also the Bolloré Bluecar with 1,190 units and the Peugeot iOn with 725 units.
The automaker finished the year strong with almost 100 Model S’s delivered in December alone:
It looks encouraging for 2016 as the french government added a new EV incentive to boost sales this year. As of January 1 and until December 31, a new electric vehicle buyer will receive up to €10,000 ($10,900 USD) if he upgrades from an older diesel-powered vehicle.
EV owners are also eligible to a 30% tax credit for the installation of a charging station.
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Hmm, I hope this is the start of a long-term uptick for Tesla in the French market where they’ve been underwheming up to now.
Some markets simply prefer domestic brands which makes it tough for newcomers to break in.
That and the Model S is a big car, which isn’t very popular in France.
I guess that partially explains the popularity of the Zoe & the Bollore
It is true the Tesla Model S is a wide car for our country roads in France. We got the Renault Zoé first for everyday travel and only then the Tesla. Obviously that is expensive on top of the usual expense of a luxury car.