Groupe Renault's registrations rose by 7.3% to 692,453 units in first quarter 2016. The group's market share increased by 0.2 points to 3.1%. The group continued to benefit from the buoyant market in Europe. Renault revenues increased by 11.7% in first quarter 2016. Registrations rose by 8.9% in a market up 8.2% while market share came to 9.8%. Sales under the Renault brand grew by 9.9% thanks to Clio IV (the second best-selling car in Europe) as well as Captur, Kadjar, Espace and Talisman. The full impact of the new Megane, which was released in the first quarter, is yet to be felt. Sales under the Dacia brand increased by 5.7%, mainly due to Sandero. In France, the group reported an 8.6% rise in registrations to 163,104 vehicles in the first quarter. Its market share held steady at 26.5%. The Group placed four vehicles in the Top 10 best-selling passenger cars, with the Clio IV coming in at number one. For the first time in five years, the Renault brand registered more than 100,000 passenger cars in the first three months. The Dacia brand saw its passenger car sales grow by 16.8%. Outside Europe, the Group reported a 4.7% increase in sales, despite the ongoing slowdowns in Russia and Brazil. This was largely due to strong sales in the Africa, Middle East and India Region. In the Africa, Middle East and India Region, the Group's registrations grew by 36.1% with market share gaining 1.5 points to 4.6%. The global automotive market is expected to continue to grow by +2% in 2016. The European market performed better than expected in the first quarter and is expected to increase by at least +5%, up from +2% forecast previously. However, the Brazilian market, is expected to decline further than anticipated (-15% to -20%, instead of -6% previously).
