On Wednesday, the Renault group reported a 5.9% drop in worldwide sales volume in 2022, its fourth consecutive year of decline, but also a record order book that gives grounds for optimism for 2023.

Last year, the French automaker sold 2,051,174 cars and vans worldwide. The previous day, it had reported sales of its main brand, Renault, down 9.4%, but the performance of its low-cost brand Dacia (+6.8%) mitigated the decline in sales for the year.

The group's order backlog in Europe remains at a record level of 3.5 months' sales at December 31, 2022, Renault added in a press release. (Gilles Guillaume reports, edited by Kate Entringer)