Renault says orders for new Twingo ahead of expectations

CLERMONT-FERRAND, France (Thomson Financial) - Orders for the new version of the Twingo, which was launched on June 15, are ahead of expectations, said Renault 's French sales director, Jacques Chauvet.

Speaking at a news conference at the inauguration of a new showroom, he said: 'We will sell slightly more Twingos than expected,' adding: 'The order book is equivalent to 30 pct of the sales predicted for the whole year.'

Chauvet declined to give any exact figures.

On June 15, Renault (other-otc: RNSDF.PK - news - people ) had said it expected to sell slightly over 100,000 new Twingos per year.

CEO Carlos Ghosn said: 'It's got off to a good start. We are very pleased; The customer reaction is very positive.'

Ghosn said: 'France still represents the priority for Renault. Our wish is to have a strong market share in France.'

Chauvet said Renault's share of the French passenger car market was 24.4 pct in June. 'It has been going down by 10 pct a year for two years.'

Ghosn said: '23 or 24 pct is a bit slack... If we do our job properly, and taking account of new products coming along, we will climb back up.'

tf.TFN-Europe_newsdesk@thomson.com

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