Renault chief operating officer Carlos Tavares attends the company’s first-half 2013 results presentation in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris, on July 26, 2013. (REUTERS/Benoit Tessier)
The maker of the Clio and Megane hatchbacks said Friday it took a USD 512 million (USD 680 million) charge to write off the entire value of its Iran operations, which are threatened by international sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
Along with other charges, including restructuring of factories in France, that left Renault’s first-half earnings at only EUR 39 million, down from EUR 734 million a year earlier, the carmaker said in a statement Friday.
New car sales continued to fall as international growth failed to offset poor markets in Europe, especially in France.
Renault said a worsening in market conditions would put in doubt its full-year targets, including higher worldwide registrations.
Renault’s business in Iran consists of assembling vehicle kits it sends there. Tougher US sanctions on the Islamic regime that came into effect last month mean Renault cannot get its money out of Iran, leading to the charge against its second-quarter earnings.
Earlier this month, the European automakers’ association ACEA said car sales slumped 6.6 percent in the first half of the year amid signs of continued deep recession and high unemployment in Europe.
To cope with the dwindling market in Europe, automakers have announced factory closures and put off new car launches.
Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat is the world’s premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities. Launched in London in 1978, Asharq Al-Awsat has established itself as the decisive publication on pan-Arab and international affairs, offering its readers in-depth analysis and exclusive editorials, as well as the most comprehensive coverage of the entire Arab world.
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