VW still setting the pace

Volkswagen remains Europe’s best-selling car brand.

Despite its reputation taking a hammering following the emissions scandal last September, the German car maker sold nearly 850,000 units in the first six months of 2016.

That represents a 0.1% increase on last year’s numbers.

Meanwhile, Renault has leapfrogged Ford into second place after recording growth of 14.2% in the first half of the year.

It sold 561,238 units, with Ford registering 527,502 sales (4.8% growth on 2015 figures).

Renault’s growth could be attributed to its expanding model line-up, although Ford is expected to fight back in the second half of the year with new product launched of its own, including a new Fiesta.

Meanwhile, in the UK Renault’s new registrations grew by just under 21% year-on-year during the first half, but slipped back in July, 31% down compared to July 2015. Ford also faltered with a 7.75% downturn in July 2016 compared to July 2015.