New Renault models lead European car sales higher

European car sales rose 5.6 percent in November, according to industry data published on Thursday, with France's Renault leading the gains among major carmakers.

Registrations advanced to 1.189 million cars last month from 1.126 million a year earlier, the Brussels-based Association of European Carmakers said. With December still to come, sales across the European Union and EFTA countries are up 7.1 percent for the year so far.

Renault, buoyed by a run of new vehicles such as the Kadjar SUV, posted a 16.5 percent increase in sales to 126,143 cars.

Also outperforming the market were Daimler , up 11.7 percent; BMW , 11.6 percent higher; and Fiat Chrysler , which gained 10.1 percent. Volkswagen's group registrations rose 6.3 percent to 294,414.

Sales at PSA , maker of Peugeots and Citroens, fell by 4.2 percent. Ford and GM's Opel were also among the market-share losers.

(Reporting by Laurence Frost; Editing by David Goodman)