Renault hopes to sell 40,000 to 50,000 imported vehicles in China this year, informationtimes.dayoo.com quoted Renault China CEO Chen Guozhang as saying. Mr. Chen made the statement at a Renault test drive event in Guangzhou earlier this week.

Renault's sales in China have been constantly growing over the past three years, increasing first from 800 units to 5,000 units, and then from 5,000 units to over 14,000 and finally reaching a high of 25,000 units last year. Mr. Chen believes that sales growth in the Chinese market will continue to be very stable at five percent or so this year. The market for imports should prove even more attractive.

"As far as Renault China is concerned, we will maintain double-digit [sales] growth," Mr. Chen stated. Mr. Chen is optimistic that the manufacturer can achieve total sales between 40,000 and 50,000 vehicles. This lofty goal would be extremely difficult for most manufacturers to attain. Mr. Chen also noted that the ratio of Koleos SUVs (pictured below) sold decreased from 93 percent to 87 percent last year, signifying that sales of Renault's other models, including the Fluence, Latitude and Scénic, have increased. Mr. Chen said that Renault will employ various methods to make sure that amount increases. "This year, we will be releasing many new models, [which] will greatly help boost [our] competitiveness." he stated.

Several dealerships in Guangzhou have previously complained about the limited quantity of Renault vehicles. According to Mr. Chen, this is due to the increasing number of vehicles sold each month. Renault's Chinese sales rose from 1,000 units in the beginning of 2011 to 3,000 by its end. Mr. Chen added that in the last four to five months of the year Renault China imported 10,000 to 20,000 vehicles in order to help deal with increased demand. "We put a great deal of effort into dealership financing, logistics and related fields [and] have made breakthrough results," Mr. Chen said.

Mr. Chen also revealed that Renault will be introducing a brand new high-end model, codenamed L47, at next month's Beijing International Automobile Exhibition. However, due to supply chain issues, Renault currently has no plans to bring over the Clio subcompact.