Renault gains in compact segment as overall sales slump

PARIS — Renault improved sales in high-margin segments in 2022. It’s a key component of CEO Lucade Meo’s rebranding plan, but overall sales fell by 9.4% for him.

Sales volume excluding Russia is 1.47 million units. Including Russia, worldwide sales he fell by 15%.

In Europe, compact segment sales were up 21%, driven by strong sales of the Arkana compact crossover and the Megane E-Tech Electric compact hatchback.

The Megane E-Tech has sold 33,000 units in Europe after its debut in spring 2022. The South Korean-made Arkana is a coupe-style crossover (using a different platform) originally developed for the Russian market, and in Europe he has recorded sales of 80,000 units, and in 2021 he will reach 41,000.

A third model, the new Austral compact SUV, is expected to sell at higher profit margins than its predecessor, the Kadjar, Renault said.

Renault said in a statement on Tuesday that its private channel mix improved by eight points to 51%, seven points higher than the market average.

Officials attribute the overall decline in sales to supply constraints, but another factor is the withdrawal from the Russian market after the invasion of Ukraine. The Renault brand will record 131,552 units sold in 2021. By November 2022, that number had dropped to around 54,000 units.

Even though small car sales grew, sales in the less profitable small car segment declined significantly. Through November, his Clio small car sales were 173,139 compared to 219,198 for him in the same period in 2021. Sales of the small SUV Captur were 134,356 compared to 156,928 in 2021.

Global market share was 4%, down 0.5 percentage points from the previous year.

Global sales accounted for 43% of total sales, according to Renault. Of the top 10 markets, only his two markets, Turkey and Colombia, saw sales growth.

Sales were down 15% in top market France, but were stable in secondary market Brazil. Germany, the third largest market, was down 25%.

Renault’s withdrawal from Russia had a major impact. The brand will record 131,552 sales for him in 2021. By November 2022, that number had dropped to around 54,000 units.