Renault-Nissan Alliance Sells 8.5 Million Vehicles in 2015

The Renault-Nissan Alliance sold 8,528,887 vehicles in 2015, up almost 1 percent from the previous year, thanks to record sales in the United States, China and Europe.

Combined sales for the world’s fourth largest car group, which includes Renault Group, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., and Russia’s AVTOVAZ, held steady from calendar-year 2014 -- despite sharp declines in the overall Russian and Brazilian markets.

Renault, Nissan and AVTOVAZ, Russia’s largest automaker, account for about one in ten cars sold worldwide.

Renault Group, Europe’s third-largest automaker, sold a record 2,801,592 vehicles worldwide in 2015, up 3.3 percent from 2014, in a market that grew by 1.6 percent. This marked the third consecutive year of sales growth for Renault. Dacia sales accounted for a record 550,920 vehicles, up 7.7%.  

Renault, the fastest-growing major brand in Europe, reached a market share of 10.1 percent in a market that rose 9.4 percent. Renault retained its light commercial vehicle leadership in Europe for the 18th consecutive year. 

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., sold a record 5,421,804 cars and trucks worldwide, up 2.1 percent.  In each of its two biggest markets, the United States and China, Nissan sold at least 1.25 million vehicles. Infiniti accounted for a record 215,250 vehicles, up 16 percent from the previous year, thanks to all-time high sales in all key regions, including the Americas and China. 

AVTOVAZ, which sells cars under the LADA brand, sold 305,491 vehicles, down 31.5 percent due to the slump in the Russian market. The Renault-Nissan Alliance has a majority stake in AVTOVAZ through a joint venture with state corporation Rostec. Together, the Renault-Nissan Alliance and AVTOVAZ sell about one in three cars in Russia.

The overall Russian car market plunged by more than 35 percent. The Alliance increased its market share from 30.7 percent in 2014 to 32.3 percent in 2015.

Renault-Nissan market highlights

The Alliance’s top 10 markets in 2015 were the US, China, France, Japan, Mexico, UK, Germany, Russia, Brazil and Spain.

In the United States, Nissan set an all-time record with 1,484,918 vehicles, up 7.1 percent, resulting in a record market share of 8.5 percent. Nissan also set annual sales records for Rogue, Versa, NV and NV200. In the light truck segment, sales rose 20 percent compared with 2014.

In China, Nissan sold 1.25 million vehicles, up 6.3 percent. Nissan remains the leading Japanese automaker in China with a market share of more than 5 percent.

Earlier this month, Renault began production of the Kadjar SUV at its joint venture plant in Wuhan with Dongfeng Motor Corp. This is the first model to be produced by Renault in China. The new plant will have an initial production capacity of 150,000 vehicles a year, with the potential to expand to 300,000 vehicles as demand increases.

In France, Renault’s home market, Renault sold 607,173 vehicles, up 5.1 percent. Its market share totaled 26.4 percent. The Clio compact car remained the top-selling passenger vehicle for the sixth consecutive year. Renault ZOE was the leading electric passenger vehicle with at 60 percent market share.

In Japan, Nissan’s home market, Nissan sold 589,046 vehicles, down 12.1 percent. Nissan’s market share stood at 11.7 percent. 

In Mexico, Nissan posted record sales of 348,941 vehicles, up 19 percent. With a market share of 25.8 percent for 2015, Nissan has held the top sales spot in Mexico for the last six consecutive years.

In Brazil, Renault’s second-largest market, its market share increased by 0.2 points to 7.3 percent in a market that contracted by 25.5 percent.

In India, which is expected to be an important pillar of Alliance sales and industrial growth in the future, Renault remained the leading European automotive brand with sales up more than 20 percent to 53,848 vehicles. 

More than 80,000 people in India placed orders for the Renault Kwid compact hatchback since its launch in September. The Kwid is the first Alliance vehicle built on Common Module Family-A architecture, the smallest and most affordable category of cars in the Alliance CMF family. The Datsun brand will launch a model using CMF-A architecture later this year.

Zero-emission highlights 

The Alliance sells about one in two pure electric vehicles worldwide. Through the end of December, the Alliance has sold a cumulative 302,000 EVs worldwide.

The first mainstream, mass-marketed EV, the Nissan LEAF, went on sale in December 2010. Nissan LEAF remains the world’s best-selling EV with more than 201,000 vehicles sold since its launch. 

Since Renault began selling EVs in October 2011, Renault has sold a cumulative 83,000 electric vehicles worldwide, including the Twizy two-seater urban commuter. The Renault Kangoo Z.E. remains the top light commercial EV in Europe. 

In calendar-year 2015, the Renault-Nissan Alliance sold 85,000 electric vehicles, up more than 2.5 percent compared with previous year. Nissan’s global EV sales fell 9.8 percent, while Renault’s sales increased 45 percent. The 2016 Nissan LEAF has an all-new 30 kWh battery, which delivers 20 percent more driving range between charges than the previous 24 kWh version. In addition to LEAF, Nissan also sells the e-NV200 van.

In Europe, Nissan’s EV sales rose 14.3 percent in 2015 to nearly 20,000 vehicles. Renault’s EV sales in Europe increased 49 percent to nearly 23,100 vehicles, excluding Twizy. Renault ZOE was the best-selling EV in Europe in 2015, accounting for nearly 19 percent of the market.