Renault's sales rise thanks to low-cost cars

PARIS, FRANCE: French car manufacturer Renault said on Tuesday (21 January) that its sales rose by 3.1% last year to 2.63m vehicles thanks to accelerating performance by its low-cost Dacia brand.

Renault's top-selling Duster has recently been launched in South Africa. Image: Renault

Low-cost vehicles represented 41% of total sales for the group, which includes the Renault, Dacia and Renault Samsung Motors brands, up from 37% the previous year, said a company spokesman.

The Duster, a SUV with 4WD as an option that is sold both under the Dacia and Renault brands, was its top-selling vehicle with nearly 377,000 sold.

The group's sales rose 2.4% in Europe, a market that dipped 1.7% last year. French sales slid 0.7%.

International sales were held back because of international sanctions in Iran, but still rose by 0.4 points to 50.5% of the total.

Renault sees the global car market growing by 2.0% in 2014, with the European and French markets recovering with one percent growth.

"In 2014, in a more favourable market context, we are confirming our profitable growth strategy by continuing our recovery in Europe and increasing our international sales," said Jerome Stall, Renault's executive vice president for sales and marketing.

Renault's sales results contrasted sharply with those of its French rival PSA Peugeot Citroen, which said its global sales dropped by 4.9% last year.

Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge