Renault Group Worlwide Sales Results for First Quarter 2008 Up 6.5%

April 15, 2008 -- The Renault group sold 638,554 PC and LCVs in first-quarter 2008, for an increase of 6.5% on first-quarter 2007. Renault brand sales were up 4.7%, Dacia sales increased by 37% and Renault Samsung Motors decreased by 9%.

“The Group has grown its sales as forecast, with the launch of four new models in the first two months of the year – New Kangoo PC and LCV, Clio Estate and Grand Modus. Five other models set for launch in 2008, including Koleos and Sandero, will help to further this dynamic” Patrick Blain, Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing.

In Europe , on a market down 2% in the first quarter, Group sales were stable (-0.2%) at 418,322 units for 8.9% market share. The German subsidiary posted an excellent performance, growing sales by 19.5% on a market that increased 2.7%. Sales in the Netherlands (+9.9%), Switzerland (+13.8%) and Austria (+20.1%) also increased significantly more than markets.

The Group launched an unprecedented number of new models in first-quarter 2008. Clio Estate, Grand Modus and New Kangoo were released at the end of January in France, Italy, Belgium, Germany and Austria and from February 1 in other European countries . New Twingo continued its success with sales of more than 36,190 units, while New Laguna sales totaled nearly 30,500. Following the launch of the Estate model in January, Renault is further boosting the Laguna offering with Laguna GT. Initial sales of Clio Estate (11,217), Kangoo PC (8,554), Modus and Grand Modus (19,512) are extremely positive.

The Dacia brand confirmed its success in Europe in the first quarter, with sales increasing by a full 71.2%. The latest Logan-platform model, Sandero, presented at the Geneva Motor Show, will be launched alongside Logan sedan and Logan MCV from June.

Group sales outside Europe rose by a full 22.1% in the first quarter.

In the Americas region, on a market up 10.6%, Renault group sales rose 10.5% in the first quarter. Group sales on the dynamic Brazilian market (+31.4%) leapt 72.3% to a record level. First-quarter sales in Argentina were down slightly, by 1.1%. Logan and Sandero were successful in both Brazil and Argentina, with 10,123 Logans and 5,635 Sanderos sold in the first quarter.

In the Euromed region, where the market rose by 32%, Renault group sales increased by 20.5% in first-quarter 2008. Sales were up 5.7% in Romania for continued high market share of 34.9%. Sales were extremely dynamic in Russia, up 35.8%. Renault sales also rose in the growth markets of Algeria (+41.8%), Morocco (+15.3%) and Turkey (+27.8%).

Group sales in Asia-Africa increased by 41.7% in the first quarter. More than 8,120 Logans were sold in India – and more than 14,562 delivered in Iran.

Spource: Renault group