Renault Group Global Car Sales Rise 1.3% Year-on-Year in First Half

On July 23, French automaker Renault Group announced its passenger car and light commercial vehicle performance for the first half of the year. Sales increased slightly by 1.3% year-on-year to 1,169,773 units; among them, the global sales of Renault's passenger cars and light commercial vehicles under the same-named brand increased by 2.7% year-on-year to 808,000 units, while the global sales of Dacia's passenger cars and light commercial vehicles decreased by 0.7% year-on-year to 356,000 units.

Image Source: Renault Group

Renault Group stated that in the second quarter of this year, its global sales of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles came to a standstill. Although the passenger car market experienced a recovery, the significant decline in demand for vans in Europe completely offset the growth in passenger cars.

Renault Group issued a warning last week regarding its lower-than-expected sales in June. Although several new models were launched during the period, its global sales in the second quarter of this year still edged down by 0.1% year-on-year. In contrast, its global sales in the first quarter of this year increased by 2.8% year-on-year.

Ivan Segal, Renault's Global Sales and Operations Director, stated: "Throughout the first half of the year, we have witnessed increasingly intense competition in the European commercial vehicle market. Market demand remains sluggish, and the economic environment is full of uncertainties, which has undoubtedly prompted companies to postpone some of their procurement plans." It is reported that the Renault brand accounts for 70% of Renault Group's global sales.

Although the global sales of Renault brand passenger cars increased by 8.4% year-on-year in the first half of this year, mainly due to the strong performance of its popular model Clio in Europe, the global sales of vans and light commercial vehicles, which account for one-fifth of its total sales, fell by 29% year-on-year. This downward trend was further exacerbated by unfavorable base effects and product updates.

In the first half of this year, Renault's global electric vehicle sales surged by 57% year-on-year, far exceeding the market growth of 25%. This growth is attributed to the increased sales of the R5 model in the French, German, and Spanish markets. Alpine, the high-end sports brand under the Renault Group, launched the new electric model A290, which further boosted the brand's global registrations by 85% year-on-year in the first half of this year.

Ivan Segal expects the Renault brand to regain its market share in commercial vehicles in the second half of this year. He added that the overall global sales growth of the Renault brand will be "on par" with the first half of this year, while markets outside Europe will achieve double-digit growth.

It is reported that over 70% of Renault Group's sales come from the European market, which shields it from trade disruptions caused by U.S. tariffs, but also makes it more vulnerable to an economic slowdown in Europe, especially in the face of increasingly fierce competition from Chinese automakers.

In pursuit of markets with higher growth rates, the Renault brand has launched new models in markets such as Latin America, Turkey, Morocco, and South Korea, driving a 16.3% year-on-year increase in sales outside Europe in the first half of this year.

Currently, the Renault Group is temporarily led by Chief Financial Officer Duncan Minto and is actively searching for a long-term CEO to replace Luca de Meo, who left the position this month.

Renault Group will release its full first-half financial report on July 31. Last week, Renault Group downgraded its full-year 2025 operating margin and free cash flow forecasts.