Renault Group’s global sales increased by 1.3% in the first half of 2025, with passenger car sales in Europe up 5.4% in a flat market, the automaker announced on Tuesday.

In Europe, Renault’s sales increased by 8.4% to 394,278 units, Dacia’s sales rose by 1.1% to 308,957, and Alpine’s sales jumped 89% to 4,871 units. The A290 boosted the brand’s sales by 3,699 entries worldwide. Alpine’s first city car accounted for 2,327 entries in France.

According to preliminary figures from Dataforce, six-month sales in Europe were down 1.1% in the European Union, EFTA markets, and the UK.

Renault’s sales of light commercial vehicles in Europe declined by 29%, as the LCV market fell by 13%, the company stated. Renault’s new interim CEO, Duncan Minto, said last week that the commercial van market had softened considerably in recent months due to economic uncertainty. Stellantis also reported that weaker LCV sales weighed on profits in the first half.

Renault added that its LCV sales suffered from the exit of the low-priced Express van, derived from the Dacia Dokker, and from an incomplete lineup for the new Master large van.

The largely positive sales report comes days after Renault Group downgraded its profit forecast for 2025 under interim CEO Duncan Minto.

Electrified vehicles surge

Battery-electric vehicles accounted for 16% of Renault brand sales, representing a 57% increase over the first half of 2024, primarily driven by the new Renault 5 small hatchback. Full hybrids accounted for 41% of Renault sales, representing a 36% increase.

The Renault brand’s global sales increased by 2.7 %, primarily driven by a 16% rise in sales outside of Europe, including new models such as the Kwid small crossover. In all, 36% of the brand’s sales were outside of Europe.

International markets with significant increases included Morocco, up 48% following the launch of the Kardian; South Korea, up 150% after the introduction of the Grand Koleos, a mid-size SUV based on a model from production partner Geely; and Argentina, up 97%.

Looking ahead, the Renault brand anticipates growth from a €25,000 version of the Renault 5 Electric and the upcoming Renault 4, a small full-electric SUV.

Dacia remains a stronghold

Even as European sales increased slightly, Dacia’s global sales slipped by 0.7% to 356,084, mainly due to the rebadging of the Dacia Duster as a Renault in Turkey, Frank Marotte, Dacia VP Sales and Marketing, said on July 22.

Dacia’s market share in Europe was steady at 4.5%. “We have been facing storms, but we have succeeded in protecting our position in key markets,” Marotte told journalists on a conference call.

The low-cost brand’s models had mixed results. Sales of the Sandero, Europe’s best-seller for the first six months, were down 7.8% in Europe, which Marotte attributed to a decline in the segment. “Individual buyers’ sales decreased by 6% in Europe,” Marotte explained. The decline is primarily due to the poor performance of the French and Spanish markets, which are significant for the Sandero, while the car gains market share in other countries.

Equally, the Jogger compact crossover lost 17% in the first half, which Marotte attributed mainly to a decline in non-SUV compact sales. The Duster, also an excellent seller, lost 4.5% in a market that declined by 5%.

Offsetting those declines was a comeback for the Spring electric minicar, which saw a 63% increasein sales to approximately 16,000unitss of the updated version. The most significant piece of good news was the new Bigster compact SUV, which had more than 17,000 sales, with over 70% of those being conquests from other brands, Marotte said. Even better news is the 38,000 orders since the launch in April.

Marotte added that Dacia was more than halfway to its goal of 700,000 global sales this year (Dacia sells primarily in Europe) compared with about 674,000 in 2024. It inclines Dacia to accelerate its electrification strategy. “Electrified vehicles already represent 24% of our sales, primarily hybrids,” says Marotte.

Chinese threat?

With some of Europe’s least expensive cars in its lineup, Dacia would seem to be vulnerable to new rivals from China, but Marotte said that most Chinese brands are not in Dacia’s price bracket, except for MG, which SAIC owns.

“We are very carefully watching the success of the Chinese brands, but not all of them are coming into Dacia’s territory,” he said. He noted that in recent decades, Japanese and South Korean brands had brought low-cost cars to Europe, only for domestic brands to adapt and remain successful. “We are conscious of what is happening with the Chinese,” Marotte said. “It will force us to adapt and improve.”