Dacia gains as French sales rise 9 per cent

French passenger-car registrations rose 9 per cent in April, led by strong gains at Dacia and other makers.

There were 187,396 registrations in the month, which had 20 selling days compared with 19 in April 2017, industry group CCFA said. Adjusted for that figure, growth was 3.6 percent.

Sales have increased 4.4 percent in the first four months. In a note to investors, ISI Evercore forecasts that sales will increase 3.3 percent this year, and said that gains in France, the EU’s third-largest market, are expected to ensure that Europe as a whole shows positive growth for the year, despite slumps in the UK and slower growth in markets such as Germany and Italy.

Budget brand Dacia led Renault Group, which gained 11 per cent for the month, with an increase of 31 per cent driven by the newly refreshed Duster SUV.

Source: Automotive News