Renault sales up 7.6 percent in 3rd quarter

PARIS: French car maker Renault says its sales rose 7.6 percent in the third quarter as strong demand in Brazil and Russia helped offset a shrinking car market closer to home.

The maker of the Megane, Logan and Clio models reported sales of euro8.7 bn ($12 bn) for the third quarter, up from euro8.1 bn a year earlier. Unit sales rose 5.7 percent in the period to 591,855 units, Renault said in a statement Wednesday.

Renault forecast global market growth of 9 percent this year but warned that the ``increasingly competitive'' European market would shrink by 5 percent.

Europe's third largest carmaker behind Volkswagen AG and PSA Peugeot Citroen SA forecast its own sales would rise nearly 9 percent to 2.5 million vehicles this year.