Renault gains on VW as European car sales surge

European car sales rose to a nine-year high in 2016, with French company Renault taking advantage of recovering demand and Volkswagen’s tarnished reputation to leap to second place from third in th e region.

Industry-wide registrations increased 6.5% to 15.1m vehicles, the highest level since the 2007 peak, the Brussels-based European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association said.

European leader Volkswagen lost market share with a 3.3% sales gain as demand at its namesake brand declined amid the fallout of the emissions-cheating scandal.