BYD enters France’s top 10 car brands in October 2026, Digi Mart USA News (France): France’s car market continued its recovery in October, and a Chinese manufacturer made the most of it. BYD took seventh place in the sales ranking, reaching the top 10 in France for the first time.
According to AAA Data, 149,341 new passenger cars were registered in October 2026, compared with 139,514 a year earlier, an increase of 7.04%. The growth came despite a less favorable calendar with 22 working days, compared with 23 in October 2025.
The month coincided with the Paris Motor Show, held from October 12 to 18.
Over the first ten months of 2026, cumulative volume reached 1,384,293 vehicles, an increase of 4.37% on an identical number of working days. AAA Data reported a 17% rise in orders in September, equal to 26,614 additional vehicles and marking a seventh consecutive month of growth.
Since January, cumulative orders are up 9.8%, a surplus of 116,872 units.
The main driver of the recovery was accelerating household purchases. In October, registrations by private buyers rose nearly 18%, accounting for 57% of the total new passenger car market, a six-point increase over one year.
Electric vehicles reached a record market share of 41% in October, supported by fuel price levels and strong demand for models such as the Renault 5, Twingo, Scénic and Peugeot 208.
The environment also benefited Chinese manufacturers, which are expanding their distribution networks in a highly competitive market on price and equipment. BYD’s entry into the top 10 brands in France is a clear sign of that momentum.
Among manufacturers, Stellantis kept its leadership position with 36,901 registrations in October, up 2.78%, although its market share slipped slightly to 24.71% from 25.73% a year earlier. Within the group, performance was uneven: Citroën rose 11.37% to 11,144 units and Fiat jumped 28.84% to 2,752 units, while Peugeot fell 1.97% to 18,420 registrations, and Opel and DS declined 4.86% and 19.14%, respectively.
The Renault Group ranked second with 34,730 registrations, down 4.08% overall. However, the Renault brand itself rose 4.24% to 25,936 units and remained the top brand in the French market.
Alpine also grew 19.69% to 456 units, while Dacia fell sharply by 23.83% to 8,338 sales in the month. Over the first ten months of the year, the Renault brand gained 3.38% with 238,448 registrations, while Dacia declined 12.03%.
The Volkswagen Group faced a harder situation, with sales falling 14.89% to 19,370 vehicles in October. The Volkswagen brand dropped 13.35%, Audi fell 29.72% and Cupra declined 20.27%, while Škoda was the exception with a 4.15% rise to 4,770 units.
Several brands outperformed the market average. The BMW Group recorded an overall increase of 16.35%, driven by the BMW brand, which registered 5,370 vehicles, up 20.24%, and Mini, which gained 8.92%.
The Hyundai Group rose 10.01%, supported by Kia, whose sales climbed 21.32% to 3,943 units, while the Hyundai brand was stable. Mercedes increased 14.88% to 4,223 units and Nissan gained 13.81%.
Toyota declined 3.06% to 9,021 registrations, moving against the general trend. Tesla continued its expansion with a 35.24% increase in October to 2,410 units. Over the first ten months of the year, the American brand totaled 47,609 registrations, a 117.13% increase compared with the same period in 2025.
