French car market hits five-year high

Sales of new cars in France rose 5.1 percent last year, breaching the symbolic threshold of two million vehicles for the first time since 2011, the French automakers' association CCFA said Sunday.
Total sales were 2.015 million units, led by the PSA group, whose Peugeot and Citroen ranges secured 27.7 percent of the market, followed by Renault, with 25.7 percent.
Renault's sales advanced eight percent, to 518,469 cars, mainly through the success of its low-cost Dacia range.
The two-million figure is considered a key barometer of health for the French car market. It was last reached in 2011 on the back of stimulus measures to help the industry after demand was hit by the 2008 financial crisis.