Renault’s global sales drive helped by new Iran push

French carmaker Renault posted record vehicle sales around the world for the first half as a sustained product offensive lifted deliveries by 10.4% — with a well-timed China SUV launch and a renewed push into Iran both contributing.

Sales advanced to 1.88m light vehicles in January to June, Renault said, at four times the rate of the global auto market’s 2.6%.

Renault, based in the Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt, is reaping the rewards of a comprehensive overhaul of its lineup under chief designer Laurens van den Acker, who joined the company eight years ago. Sales have also benefited from a surge in European demand for the group’s no-frills Dacia brand and more recently from the success of its Captur mini-SUV.