Abstract
First, I think that the most important motive is the opportunity offered by the American market. Indeed, even if I can't find any numbers of that, I'm sure that there are more cars per capita in the US than in France. This specificity of the North-American car market offer a great opportunity for any car manufacturer. Also, general awareness grows all industries to rethink their production systems in order to reduce their impact on the environment.
In the USA, even if the roaring car culture holds a central place in the culture, more and more drivers are turning to green vehicles (electric or hybrid). Also, oil prices continue to rise, in a gloomy economic situation. So, many users turn to hybrid and electric vehicles both by moral concern, but also for economic reasons.
The second motivation is the search for profits. As we can see through the news, the automotive market in France is more than inert. Sales of new cars decreased from month to month, and some manufacturers are starting to include downsizing or plant closures (we
can think of the PSA plant located in Aulnay sous Bois, north of Paris).
