Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, the world’s largest automotive alliance, has topped global sales in the first half by selling 5.53 million units, the company said Wednesday. The Franco-Japanese partnership topped the list again this year for the second time, with a 5.1 percent increase on-year. It took the top honor last year.

The sales growth was driven by increased demand for crossovers, sport utility vehicles and pickups as well as zero-emissions electric and hybrid-electric models, the alliance said. China was the biggest market for the three-member alliance, followed by the US, France, Japan and Russia.

Renault saw increased sales of the Clio, Dacia and Captur, sold as the QM3 in South Korea. Nissan and Renault, meanwhile, reported steep growth for electric vehicles. Renault holds 21.9 percent of the European EV market with ZOE and Kangoo Z.E., which also holds 38 percent of the electric light commercial vehicle market. The growth of EVs is expected to affect the local market here in the second half, according to Renault Samsung, the Korean unit of the French carmaker.

The increased sales also prove that the alliance is on the right track for Vision 2022, the company added.

“Our member companies continue to lift unit sales in multiple markets, reflecting our brands’ competitive and attractive offerings. This strong sales performance in the first half of 2018 shows we are on track with the forecast we set in our Alliance 2022 midterm plan,” said Carlos Ghosn, chairman and chief executive officer of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi.

Under the six-year midterm plan, Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi forecasts combined sales of more than 14 million units annually by the end of 2022. The three plan to increase the use of common platforms and power trains, while also sharing innovations in electrification, connectivity and autonomous-driving technologies.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)