Renault has increased its world sales by 3.6% in the first half of the year to 1,355,621 vehicles, capturing a 4.2% share of the global market.

Sales in Western European markets dropped slightly by 0.8% while sales in the rest of the world grew by 16.8%.

Megane was the top-selling model in Western Europe in the first half of 2005. With 361,489 vehicles sold, Mégane had a 13.3% share of the C segment and a 4.6% overall share. Since its launch in 2002, 1,742,558 Méganes have been sold worldwide, including 1,579,192 in Western Europe.

The UK market share continued to increase to 7.5% with sales of 109,368.

The group expects sales to accelerate in the second-half of 2005, driven by the launch of the Clio III in September and expanded market presence for Logan in Western Europe, Russia and Africa.