RENAULT 
New car registrations across the European Union and European Free Trade Area (EFTA) increased 6.5 percent, including a 3.2 percent rise in December, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) said.
Volkswagen (>> Volkswagen AG) continued to lose market share in the wake of its emissions-test cheating scandal, but remained the best-selling brand in 2016, while France's Renault (>> Renault) overtook local rival Peugeot (>> Peugeot) to take second place.
December registrations rose to 1.193 million cars from 1.156 million a year earlier with all major markets posting gains apart from Britain, the Brussels-based ACEA said.
The VW brand saw annual sales decrease 0.4 percent, but retained an overall market share of 11.4 percent. Renault and Opel (>> General Motors Company) followed with market shares of 7.3 percent and 6.6 percent respectively.
Registrations over the full year in the EU and EFTA reached 15.13 million cars. In the EU alone, passenger car registrations increased 6.8 percent to 14.64 million.
"This positive trend is a sign that despite political instability and economic uncertainty following key events in 2016, such as Brexit or the Italian referendum, consumer confidence has remained robust," ACEA said.
Buoyed by a run of new vehicles such as the Kadjar SUV, Renault saw 2016 sales rise 12.1 percent to 1.52 million cars.
Daimler's (>> Daimler AG) Mercedes-Benz sales rose 13.9 percent to 839,779 cars last year, overtaking Volkswagen Group's Audi brand to become the best selling premium brand in Europe.
(Reporting by Edward Taylor; Editing by Georgina Prodhan and Mark Potter)
By Edward Taylor
