Renault-Nissan car sales rose 2% in 2013, boosted by China, U.S. growth

Renault and Nissan said their combined global vehicle sales rose 2 percent to 8.27 million vehicles last year, an all-time high for the alliance, propelled by record sales in China and the United States.

"Strong demand in the world's top markets more than offset anemic growth and declines elsewhere," said Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said in a statement. "We will always experience periods of regional instability, but we remain bullish: The auto industry is a long-term growth story."

Nissan was the main driver for the alliance's growth with global sales rising 3 percent to 5.1 million vehicles.

In China, Nissan sales increased by 17 percent to 1.27 million, giving the brand a market share of nearly 6 percent, the statement said. U.S. sales for Nissan and Infiniti grew by 9 percent to 1.25 million, resulting in an 8 percent market share.

Renault group, including the Dacia brand, sold 2.63 million units, up 3 percent from 2012. Sales in Europe rose 2.4 percent to 1.3 million in a market down 2 percent. Renault's European market share increased by 0.4 percentage points to 9.5 percent.

The alliance's 8.27 million global deliveries include sales of Russian subsidiary AvtoVAZ, which builds Lada cars. AVTOVAZ sold 534,911 vehicles globally, down 12 percent from 2012 amid the economic slowdown in Russia.

EV sales up 52%

Renault-Nissan said their combined electric vehicle sales jumped 52 percent to 66,809. Nissan Leaf sales rose 77 percent to 47,716, while sales of Renault's four electric vehicle models, the Kangoo Z.E., Fluence Z.E., Zoe and Twizy, grew 13 percent to 19,093.

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