The sales statistics for the first six months of 2017 are in and the global sales race has a new leader. Yes, the Renault-Nissan Alliance has moved into first place, ahead of the Volkswagen Group and Toyota…
Sales for the Renault-Nissan Alliance rose 7% to 5 268 079 units in the first half of the calendar year. This figure includes 494 303 units from Mitsubishi Motors, which became part of the alliance in late 2016. The Renault brand and Dacia combined accounted for 1 879 288 units, while Nissan (including Infiniti) added 2 894 488 units.
That puts the alliance ahead of the Volkswagen Group, which reported a total of 5 155 600 units (up 0,8%) in the first six months of 2017. The VW brand accounted for 2 935 100 of those, while Audi chipped in with 909 000 units, Skoda with 585 000 and Seat with 246 500. Porsche, meanwhile, contributed 126 500 units.
So, what about Toyota? Well, total worldwide sales for the first half of the year came in at 5 129 000 (an increase of 2,7%), putting the Japanese giant in third place. The Toyota brand was the major contributor with 4 622 000 units, while Daihatsu added 419 000 and Hino 88 000.
Carlos Ghosn, chairman and chief executive of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, who had earlier predicted that the automaker would take the lead, said that it was “well placed to realise its full potential”.
“The Alliance has delivered record sales during the first semester of 2017 reaching 5 268 079 vehicles sold. We will continue to leverage our significant economies of scale and global market presence to deliver valuable synergies for our member companies this year, while maintaining a strong technology line-up and offering customers breakthrough electric models,” said Ghosn.
“Our enlarged Alliance is well placed to realise its full potential, not only in terms of unit volumes, but also by providing next-generation mobility services to customers around the world,” he added.
