Renault H1 vehicle sales drop 3.3% on Europe

Reuters (Paris) - French car maker Renault reported a 3.3 percent drop in global vehicle sales in the first half of the year, dragged down by a worsening slump in the European market.

Deliveries fell to 1.33 million light vehicles in the first six months, despite a 1.2 percent rise in the second quarter, Renault said in a statement on Wednesday. European sales fell 14.9 percent.

"The Group still expects 2012 unit sales to exceed the level reached in 2011, provided that there is no further deterioration of the market situation in Europe," Renault sales chief Jerome Stoll said in the statement.

Growth in the global automotive market is expected to continue with a 5 percent increase in 2012, Renault said, forecasting a 6-7 percent decrease in Europe and a 10-11 percent drop in France.