France sells more cars in January

PARIS, Feb.1 (Xinhua) -- New vehicle sales in France rose by 2.5 percent last month from the same period last year as an improved economic climate encouraged consumers to make more purchases, French car sales federation CCFA said Thursday.

In January, car manufacturers offered nearly 157,000 cars. In 2017, the number was around 153,000.

Sales of French brands increased 11.7 percent increase, driven by an 18.5-percent growth in the sales of the PSA Group (Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Opel), which was the largest car manufacturer in 2017.

The automaker provided 55,745 units over the period while Renault, France's second largest car manufacturer, saw its sales up by 2.9 percent.

Foreign brands, however, started the new year with a negative trend. Their sales fell 8.5 percent, mainly due to a 14.3-percent drop in the Volkswagen Group's sales. Enditem