Renault Group posted a global year-on-year sales increase of 1% to 195,647 units in September.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more


Global Insight analyst Tim Urqhuart said overall group volumes were buoyed by a “significant” 53.4% rise in sales of the Dacia brand while Renault actually declined by 2.6% during the period.


“In light of the global economic crisis that first came to light in September, Renault’s sales performance can be described as robust,” the analyst said in a research note.


The company is forecasting that its 2008 group sales should be slightly higher than 2007’s figure as long as the market environment does not significantly deteriorate further.


He said the fact Renault managed to generate sales growth in the current environment was impressive, but last month’s results showed up some significant trends.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

Dacia’s 53.4% rise was helped by strong demand for the new Sandero hatchback, as well as continuing strong sales of the ‘original’ Logan sedan and the more recently launched MCV multi-purpose vehicle (MPV). Korean unit Renault Samsung’s sales fell 8.6% in September.


“With western Europe taking a pounding as an automotive marketplace, this may have been expected to have been a source of concern to Renault’s senior management team, due to the group’s high reliance on the region,” Urquhart wrote.


“As it turned out Renault actually outperformed the combined 8.6% slump in the market during September to record a 5% fall in European sales to 119,597 units: a figure which actually increased Renault’s European market share by 0.4% to 8%.


“Renault performed strongly in some of western Europe’s key markets, including its domestic market, in what has proved to be a challenging market environment.”


In France, group registrations rose 16.8%, with market share increasing more than 2% to 28.6%. In Germany, where the overall market fell by 0.9%, sales increased 8.4%. Group sales continued to rise in the Netherlands (+3.3%), Belgium (+10.5%), Austria (+19.3%) and Portugal (+1.5%).


While Spain suffered another huge fall in its overall market in September – of 34.2% y/y – the company actually managed to increase its market share by 1% to 34.2%.


Renault’s ‘EuroMed’ region, comprising Turkey, north African and Middle Eastern countries saw a sales rise of 3.1% y/y in September, which Urquhart said was “a somewhat disappointing figure when the Dacia Logan has a strong presence in this region and the rest of the market increased by 5.2%”.


However, the Logan and the new Sandero helped increase sales in Romania, Dacia’s home market, by 22.4% y/y.


In the Americas region, a market that gained 7.1%, the group reported strong growth of 18.3% and Brazil sales leapt 80.9% y/y, setting a new monthly sales record in September of more than 12,000 units. Again, the Sandero proved to be extremely popular in this market following its launch with 5,000 units sold.


Urquhart noted that the gradual move to smaller and more fuel-efficient cars in Europe benefited the Renault Twingo, which saw its sales rise by 20% y/y during the month to 11,649 units.


Renault itself described sales of recently launched models such as the Clio estate (4,730 units), Kangoo PC (2,799 units), Modus and Grand Modus (7,106 units) as being “dynamic”.


The company’s first sport utility vehicle (SUV) also performed relatively well despite less than ideal market conditions for the segment, with 3,153 units sold.


“While Renault should be relatively buoyed by what appear to be resilient group sales results for September, it should also be remembered that these sales results are being compared against a low base as Renault suffered a 2.8% y/y decline in global sales in September 2007,” Urquhart said.


“This was the only markedly poor sales month as Renault recorded a 6.4% y/y growth figure for the third quarter of 2007.”


He said that, despite the wider economic situation, Renault remains confident of actually exceeding 2007’s group sales volume of 2,487,453 units, which was in itself a 2.2% rise on 2006’s figure.


“However, this forecast is predicated on there being no significant worsening of the negative sales trend experienced in western Europe throughout the summer months.


“This is a rather large caveat given the current level of uncertainty in the financial markets following the banks bail-out.


“However, the bail-out is designed to restore confidence in the markets and inject liquidity into the banking system, which should in turn increase consumer confidence and make credit more free available to finance consumer car loans.”


He added that Renault’s plans to increase the penetration of the Dacia brand in mature markets like France and the United Kingdom may be “a shrewd move in a more austere economic environment”.

Just Auto Excellence Awards - The Benefits of Entering

Gain the recognition you deserve! The Just Auto Excellence Awards celebrate innovation, leadership, and impact. By entering, you showcase your achievements, elevate your industry profile, and position yourself among top leaders driving automotive industry advancements. Don’t miss your chance to stand out—submit your entry today!

Nominate Now