French automaker Renault on Wednesday said global sales in the first six months of 2012 fell 3.3 percent year-on-year to 1.33 million vehicles, mainly due to poor business in Europe.

The carmaker said in a statement that sales in its international automobile division grew 14.3 percent but could not make up for a 14.9 percent decline in Europe.

The company notched up record sales worldwide in 2011 at 2.72 million.

It hoped for better figures in the second half but "overtaking the 2011 sales will ... depend on the evolution of the global economic environment and the state of Europe's financial health," sales director Jerome Stoll said.

AFP