Automotive industry in France

France was a pioneer in the automotive industry and is the 11th-largest automobile manufacturer in the world by 2015 unit production and the third-largest in Europe (after Germany and Spain). It had consistently been the 4th-largest from the end of World War II up to 2000.

France is home to two major automaking companies :

- PSA Group (owner of the Peugeot, Citroën and DS marques) the 2nd-largest automaker in Europe and the 11th-largest of the world in 2015.

- Renault Group (owner of the Renault, Alpine, Dacia, Renault Samsung Motors marques and 43% of Nissan) the 3rd-largest automaker in Europe and the 10th-largest of the world in 2015.

The France-based Renault Trucks is a major producer of commercial vehicles and is owned by Volvo AB. Both PSA Peugeot Citroën and Renault produce a large number of vehicles outside France.

French-designed cars have won the European Car of the Year and World Car of the Year awards numerous times. The Citroën DS took third place in Car of the Century award and has been named the most beautiful car of all time by Classic & Sports Car magazine.

French automotive manufacturers were long dominant in francophone Africa, but beginning in the 1970s the Japanese were making inroads due to lower prices and the availability of suitable light offroad cars and trucks.

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Wikipedia