Strong demand for low-cost cars in developing countries helped Renault return to sales growth in 2007. However, there were still signs of trouble in the French carmaker’s core western European market, where sales continued to fall.

“The 2007 sales results are in line with our forecasts, down in the first half of the year and back to growth in the second half, driven by new products like the new Twingo and the new Laguna,” said Patrick Blain, executive vice-president for sales and marketing.