Despite the still uncertain context for the European automotive industry, Renault addresses the sector's crisis e closes the first six months of 2025 with a light plus signThe French group has 1,2 million vehicles registered globally, marking a 1,3% increase compared to the same period last year. A result that appears even more significant if we consider the strong slowdown recorded in the segment of commercial vehicles, where the house has accused a 29% decrease.
On the financial front, Renault saw grow revenue by 2,5%, bringing them to 27,6 billion euros. The difficulties in the vans sector, however, pushed the group to cut full-year forecasts: the expected operating margin has been revised downwards, by 7 6,5% to%, while estimated free cash flow fell to a range between 1 and 1,5 billion (versus over 2 billion previously).
Europa holds, Clio remains at the top
Il The European market remains central to Renault, which saw registrations rise by 5,4% in the semester, exceeding 708 thousand units. Driving the growth is especially the Renault Clio, which is confirmedbest-selling car in EuropeA result that, according to Global Sales Manager Ivan Segal, reflects a "good momentum" that is set to continue in the second half of the year.
Much of the French group's resilience is due to the strong expansion of the electrified range. The hybrid cars They recorded a 36% jump year-on-year, representing 41% of Renault brand sales (excluding commercial vehicles). Three years ago, these engines weren't even in the range.
Also the sector of electric cars has shown very positive signs, with a growth of 57% in the semester. Among the most popular models, the new Renault 5 E-Tech Electric, already the leader of the B-segment in Europe with approximately 49.000 units sold since its launch. The range will continue to strengthen in the coming months with the arrival of the new Renault 4.
Slight decline for the Dacia brand, which closed the first half of the year with 356.000 vehicles sold globally (-0,7%), also due to the rebranding of the Duster in Turkey. In Europe, however, sales of the Romanian brand grew by 1,1%, with Sandero remaining the best-selling car to private customers since 2017. The share of electrified engines also grew strongly, reaching 24% of the total, driven by the new hybrid Duster and the electric city car Spring.
Alpine also did well, which with 5.015 registrations (+85%) recorded its best half-year ever, thanks above all to the success of the new electric A290 derived from the Renault 5. The sports brand plans to expand its network to up to 200 Alpine Stores by the end of the year, in view of the launch of the future electric A390.
Commercial vehicles in trouble: -29%
The weak point of the semester, however, remains the commercial vehicle market, where Renault suffered more than average. Sales are dropped by 29% compared to a general decline of 13% in the European market. A decline mainly linked to the end of life of the small Express van and the ongoing launch of the new Master.
“Competition in Europe is increasingly fierce and many companies are postponing purchases for macroeconomic reasons,” Segal explained.
The difficulties of the sector have also affected the financial performance and pushed theinterim CEO, Duncan Minto, to revise downwards the estimates for the current year.
Non-European markets in strong growth
The difficulties in Europe were balanced out by the international markets, where Renault recorded a16,3% increase in sales compared to the first half of 2024. The best results came from Latin America (+24%), with peaks in Argentina (+96%) and Brazil (+8,8%), but also from countries such as South Korea (+150%), Colombia (where Renault is first in market share) and Morocco (+48%).
Renault bounces back on the stock market thanks to its financial statements and the clarification on tariffs.
The stock market rewards Renault, boosted by a combination of solid results and positive signs on the international business front. The French carmaker's shares are up. gains 3,93% on the Paris Stock Exchange, rising to 34,39 euros.
In addition to the sales figures and the stability of the revenues, to support the The agreement announced between the United States and Japan was a rise, which calls for a reduction in tariffs on Japanese car imports from 27,5% to 15%. This move has rekindled expectations for a similar agreement between Washington and Brussels, fueling a wave of optimism for the sector.
The entire sector benefited from this, including Stellantis in strong evidence on Piazza Affari (+7,18%).
