The increase was driven primarily by demand for the Nissan LEAF and the Renault ZOE, which remains the Nº 1 EV sold in Europe, and Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV. On the hybrid side, sales of the plug-in hybrid electric versions of the Mitsubishi Outlander reached more than 13,000 units.

Overall unit sales at the Alliance rose 7% to 5,268,079 vehicles in the first half of the calendar year resulting from an increased demand for models from the French and Japanese brands, and the first semester sales contribution from new Alliance member Mitsubishi Motors.

• Groupe Renault sold 1,879,288 million vehicles in the first half of 2017, which represents an increase of 10.4% in a market that grew 2.6%. All group brands posted increases in sales volumes and market share. The Renault and Dacia brands set half-year sales records and Renault ranks as the second most sold brand in Europe. Furthermore, all regions increased their sales volumes and market share. In particular, the Group recorded a 19.3% rise in sales in the Africa-Middle East-India Region and a 50.5% increase in the Asia-Pacific Region.

• Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. sold 2,894,488 cars and trucks worldwide, up 5.6% in the six months to June 30. In Japan and Europe, the company achieved a growth of 22.9% and 5.7% respectively. Infiniti sold more than 125,000 vehicles in the first half, an increase of roughly 13% on the same period of 2016.

• Mitsubishi Motors sold 494,303 units cars worldwide, up 2.4 % year-on-year as the company resumed sales of its Kei mini cars in Japan. The sales increase also reflects the strong growth in China following the launch of locally-produced Outlander SUVs. Sales also increased in the ASEAN region, led by demand for SUVs and pick-up trucks.