Fiat Group Automobiles (FGA) continued its robust sales successes across the key European new car markets in June through into France where all three of its major brands - Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Lancia - posted year-on-year sales gains. The French new passenger car market is now regaining much of its lost ground thanks to a government sponsored "scrappage" scheme that has achieved the aim of kick starting new car sales that have been battered by the global economic downturn.

There were 235,137 new cars sold in France last month, which is up a healthy 7.0 percent on June 2008''s total, and this surge has helped the market recover its lost ground, as with 1,131,315 cars sold during the first six months of the year, the overall market is now 0.2 percent up on January to June last year. 103,157 imported cars were sold across France in June which is up 4.0 percent on the same month last year. Big imported brand winner include Chevrolet (+ 91.5 percent), Renault-owned Dacia (+ 87.7 percent), FGA's Lancia (+ 50.1 percent), Porsche (+ 37.6 percent) and Nissan (+36.2 percent). The three domestic carmaking brands accounted for 131,980 cars last month with PSA's Citroën (+15.1 percent) and Peugeot (+ 10.4 percent) units easily outshining Renault which managed only a 5.5 percent year-on-year increase.

The Fiat brand added 7,765 new cars in France last month, which was up 5.0 percent year-on-year, its performance driven by the scrappage scheme's cash incentives for trading old, more polluting cars in for efficient new models, and it meant Fiat saw increased demand for the the Panda, Grande Punto and 500. After the first half of this year Fiat has sold 44,015 cars in France and is up by 9.9 percent on the first six months of last year.

FGA's two niche brand also turned in a strong June in France with Alfa Romeo being one of the big winners, thanks to demand for the MiTo. With 1,356 cars sold last month it was up 20.7 percent year-on-year.  After the first six months of the year Alfa Romeo has sold 6,039 cars in France and is up by 29.1 percent on January to June 2008. Lancia also had a strong month, and with 563 cars sold last month its sales doubled (+50.1 percent) on June 2008 and mean it was the third highest achieving brand year-on-year, behind Chevrolet and Dacia. For the first six months of the year Lancia has sold 2,717 cars in France and is up by 21.4 percent. Of the Fiat Group's specialist sports/luxury brands Ferrari delivered 50 cars last month in France and has sold 193 for the year-to-date while Maserati added 25 more in June to take its total for the first six months of the year to 153.