Manufacturer: Renault  

Total sales: 2013 2,712,432 

Headquarters: Boulogne-Billancourt, France

Global market share: 3.3%

Europe provides stability…

The Renault Group recorded a +13% increase in European new car registrations in 2014, with the most substantial growth being recorded in the United Kingdom (+41%), Portugal (+42%), Spain (+30%) and Italy (+29%).

The brand retained its position as the market leader in France, with strong homemarket loyalty helping to make up almost a third of Renault’s total European sales.

With over 105,000 registrations, Clio was the best-selling car on the French market, while Captur claimed the title of the most popular crossover.

Renault maintained its position as the best-selling light CV manufacturer in Europe in 2014, thanks largely to the enduring success of the Master and recently refreshed Trafic ranges. Trafic and all-new Twingo (launched in September 2014) are expected to provide an additional boost to 2015 sales, with Twingo claiming first place in the city car segment in France just a month after launch.

Thanks to the strong performance of the Renault and Dacia brands in Europe, the

Group maintained a total sales increase, despite a slowdown of its international operation.

New car registrations dropped -6% outside Europe to 1,247,821 units, equating to 46% of the Group’s total registrations, against 50% in 2013.

Registrations in Argentina fell by -40% compared with 2013 sales. This resulted in an -11% downturn in total registration in the Americas, despite Brazil continuing to be the Group’s second largest market, and other Latin countries, such as Colombia, performing well.

The brand also recorded a drop in total sales in Africa, the Middle East and India in 2014, with some of the Group’s key markets, such as North Africa (-13%), posting significant downturns.

Algerian buyers remained loyal to the Renault Group, providing a 27% share of a market that dipped by -20% overall. This performance placed the Renault and Dacia brands in first and third position. The new Renault plant in Oran will reinforce the Group’s commitment to the Algerian automotive market. Renault also achieved sales success in Morocco, retaining its position as the market leader with a 37% market share. Once again, Dacia and Renault topped sales with 45,174 vehicles sold.

In Korea, Renault Samsung Motors recorded a sharp increase in volumes (+33%), notably due to the success of the QM3, which sold nearly 20,000 units since launch in late 2013. The Group also performed well in China, recording 34,067 new registrations a year after the creation of Dongfeng Renault Automotive Company (DRAC).

Internationally, the small SUV Duster was the Group’s best-selling car, recording

395,350 sales (234,883 Renault branded, 160,467 Dacia branded), with the Clio taking second place with 378,526 total sales.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance sold its 200,000th electric vehicle in November 2014, representing a 58% market share for zero-emission cars.

View from the top: 

Jean-Pierre Mesic, global fleet sales director, on Renault’s ongoing commitment to fleet and forthcoming model launches. 

With drivers increasingly favouring crossovers, is there an ongoing role for traditional models in Renault’s fleet line-up?

Mid-2015, Renault will reveal a Dsegment sedan with a very good CO2 positioning and attractive design: this new model has a high fleet potential, and will effectively complete our range – which includes All-New Espace and best sellers like Captur and Clio.

Has Renault seen broader acceptance of electric vehicles among fleet buyers?

One EV in two is already sold to fleet customers, and the EV trend will follow the provision of charging equipment and tax incentives in each market. Plans to broaden the Z.E. range to include plug-in hybrids are under study – the Renault-Nissan Alliance already owns this technology.

Does Renault see a larger role for the Espace across Europe?

New Renault Espace is a major model for fleets: more than one vehicle in two will be sold to fleet customers, thanks to its design and equipment.

There are no plans to launch All-New Espace in right hand drive.

How does Renault plan to continue to grow its fleet share in 2015?

As far as the fleet market is concerned, we expect a moderate growth in Europe and will pursue growth in the other regions, except Russia and Argentina where figures are impacted by political and economic instability.

In addition to our current range, we will launch new vehicles in several segments that are highly suited for international fleet markets: in Europe, we renew our Csegment model and outside Europe, in a few specific markets, we will make new conquests with a new pick-up and entry level vehicle. 

Kadjar leads sales assault…

On sale from autumn 2015, Kadjar will renew Renault's C-segment crossover offering. The bigger brother to the Captur model, it aims to rival models such as the Nissan Qashqai and Ford Kuga and is said to bring excellent economy and emissions with both 4×2 and 4×4 versions available.

The name is drawn from ‘Kad’ for quad to represent a go-anywhere four-wheeled vehicle, and ‘jar’ in line with the French word ‘jaillir’ representing agility.

Built on the new Renault-Nissan Alliance CMF (Common Module Family) platform, Kadjar will be manufactured in Palencia, Spain for Europe. It will also be the first Renault vehicle to be manufactured in China following the signing of an agreement between Renault and Dongfeng in December 2013.

Debuted at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, the model is to play a major role in the brand’s plans for global growth and will go on sale initially in Europe and in many African and Mediterranean Basin countries, followed by China.

Renault is already claiming fuel economy among the best in the segment. Expect engine options to be similar to the Nissan Qashqai, including a 1.5-litre dCi 110 diesel two-wheel drive model offering CO2 emissions of less than 100g/km.

Renault has also revealed a number of new engine innovations, some set to go into production in the next year, that offer improved efficiency through electric and conventional power. The developments include a new lightweight two-cylinder diesel engine, which is being developed under the carmaker’s ‘POWERFUL’ (POWERtrain for Future Light-duty vehicles) project.

Another research prototype is the ‘HYDIVU’ (Hybrid Diesel for LCVs) technology, a high-power mild-hybrid system which uses a motor-generator to recuperate energy and provide extra power to the engine, reducing fuel consumption.

There is also a new turbocharged petrol engine adapted for use with LPG (liquefied petroleum gas). The new dual-fuel petrol/LPG engine promises 25% lower fuel bills and 10% lower CO2 emissions than a comparable petrol-only power unit.

As part of the Drive the Change strategy, the Group will continue the product-line expansion it began with the launch of all-new Twingo and Trafic van in late 2014.

These will be followed by successors of Espace, Megane, Scenic and a new D-segment sedan which will all share the new Renault-Nissan Alliance CMF platform.

Simultaneously, the Group plans to extend its global market coverage with a complete line-up of cross-over vehicles, an A-entry vehicle designed for India and South America as well as new pick-up trucks for emerging markets.