Global deliveries in the first half advanced 5% to 1.37 million cars and light commercial vehicles in a global market up 4%, Renault said. Dacia’s European sales surged 35%, lifted by the revamped Duster sport-utility vehicle and the Sandero hatchback. The Renault brand’s deliveries climbed 14 percent in its home region, helped by demand for the new Captur compact crossover.
Renault said a strong performance in Europe, driven by the success of new models, helped the group gain 1 percentage point market share, enabling the company to offset the sharp slowdown in its main emerging markets.
Renault’s slate of budget cars, anchored by the Romanian unit Dacia and starting at as little as 7,700 euros, have become a key source of profit and a growing share of sales, especially in recession-scarred Europe. The namesake marque, which was hard hit during the six-year contraction in the region’s auto demand, has been regaining market share with the help of new models. Nissan contributed to 789 million euros to Renault’s first-half revenue while AvtoVAZ cost the automaker 55 million euros through June 30.
