The inactivity at the Algeciras dock, crucial for the transit of components, led to a shortage of supplies that forced the French company to reduce vehicle manufacturing at its Tangier plant. This situation was exacerbated by flooding issues at the Moroccan facilities themselves, which halted operations for several days.
As a direct result of these disruptions, Dacia brand sales experienced a 16.3% drop in the first quarter, reaching 145,333 units. The company's management estimated that the production loss amounted to “several thousand units” due to adverse weather conditions in the Strait of Gibraltar.
The impact was not limited to Dacia models but also affected the manufacturing of parts destined for other vehicles that Renault assembles at its Pitesti factory in Romania. Despite these challenges, the group maintains an optimistic outlook, expecting to recover some of the lost production during the second quarter and reporting a stable commercial order book, with orders covering two months of future sales.
Financially, the Renault group recorded a turnover of 12.530 billion euros in the first quarter, representing a 7.3% increase compared to the same period last year. This growth was achieved despite the setbacks in Moroccan production, driven by the strong performance of Renault brand registrations, which increased by 2.2% to 397,602 vehicles, especially in the European market thanks to electric and hybrid models.
“"Despite a difficult start to the year in terms of registrations due to non-recurring elements for Dacia, we have benefited from strong momentum across all our brands, both in passenger cars and vans. We are fully leveraging our dual powertrain offering, with electric vehicles on the one hand, and hybrids on the other, with good results for both. This positive momentum is supported by a double-digit increase in orders since the beginning of the year."
