Nissan Sales Pace Slows With A 10.7% Rise In December - Infiniti Sales Falter By 12.1% For Month

Nissan Sales Pace Slows With A 10.7% Rise In December - Infiniti Sales Falter By 12.1% For Month
Nissan North America, Inc.  today reported record December U.S. sales of 100,927 units versus 93,730 units a year earlier, an increase of 7.7 percent. Nissan Division sales also set a new December record, increasing 10.7 percent for the month to 89,937 units. Sales of Infiniti vehicles 12.1 decreased percent from the prior year, to 10,990 units.

NNA finished the calendar year with 2011 sales totaling 1,042,534 units, with the Nissan Division seeing a record year with sales of 944,073 units and Infiniti closing the year with 98,461 deliveries.

NISSAN HIGHLIGHTS
  • Nissan vehicles posted record December sales with 89,937 units, an increase of 10.7 percent over the 81,228 units sold in December 2010.
  • In 2011, Nissan vehicles achieved a record, with sales of 944,073 units a 17.3 percent increase over 2010.
  • The Nissan Altima continues to rank among the best-selling cars in the United States, with 25,976 units in December marking an increase of 12.9 percent over the prior year. Altima sales totaled 268,981 in 2011, a 17.3 percent increase from 2010 deliveries.
  • Versa, spurred by the all-new 2012 Versa Sedan, saw record yearly sales, totaling 99,730 for 2011.
  • The Rogue crossover also delivered a December record, as well as a calendar year record, with sales of 12,286 units in December (up 18.6 percent) contributing to an annual total of 124,543 a 25.1 percent increase over last year.
  • Nissan’s truck lineup showed significant gains over last December, up 27.5 percent led by Frontier (up 48.7 percent) and Murano (up 13.3 percent).
  • Sales of the 100-percent electric Nissan LEAF totaled 954 units in December, with deliveries totaling 9,674 since the vehicle’s December 2010 U.S. debut. With sales exceeding 21,000 globally, the Nissan LEAF is the world’s best-selling electric car.
INFINITI HIGHLIGHTS
  • Infiniti sales totaled 10,990 units for December, a decrease of 12.1 percent versus 12,502 a year earlier.
  • Calendar year sales for Infiniti were down 4.8 percent, with sales totaling 98,461 units in 2011 versus 103,411 units in 2010.
  • Infiniti QX sales of 1,735 showed an increase of 7.8 percent for December, its best month in more than seven years, and the full-size luxury SUV had an increase of 12.7 percent 13,428 units for the year.
  • With sales of 5,399 in December, the Infiniti G Sedan had its best month in 2011, contributing to an increase of 5.1 percent for the year.
“Although 2011 had some unique challenges stemming from natural disasters in Japan and Thailand and uncertain economic conditions around the globe, Nissan managed the crisis better than most, allowing our lineup to gain momentum throughout the year,” said Al Castignetti, vice president and general manager, Nissan Sales. “Strong consumer demand for vehicles like the Altima, Rogue, Versa and LEAF helped propel us to a record 2011. With new core Nissan models on the way, we expect 2012 to be even better.”

NOTE: To ensure consistency in global sales reporting, Nissan North America calculates monthly variances on a straight-percentage basis, unadjusted for the number of selling days. December 2011 had 27 selling days, as did December 2010.




Joe_LimonJoe_Limon - 1/4/2012 12:42:20 PM
-1 Boost
1529 Volt - 954 Leaf

I am so glad to see this, apparently people do have eyeballs that can not only see things, but distinguish things that are ugly!


Agent009Agent009 - 1/4/2012 1:04:55 PM
-1 Boost
LOL - Ugly is as ugly does. I am beginning to wonder about Infiniti though. It seems they are losing relevance.


Joe_LimonJoe_Limon - 1/4/2012 1:20:43 PM
-1 Boost
Speaking of ugly, I'm also glad to see Cube sales are down to less than half of Leaf sales.


GTR35GTR35 - 1/4/2012 4:15:50 PM
+3 Boost
GM sold 7,671 Volts in 2011 vs 9,674 for the Nissan Leaf. Nissan wins.


Joe_LimonJoe_Limon - 1/4/2012 4:38:25 PM
+1 Boost
Did you want me to compare the last few months cumulative?


curriescornercurriescorner - 1/4/2012 2:23:34 PM
+3 Boost
I'm only going off memory, but I'm certain the M, G, FX and QX sold more units than last month unless I'm mixing it up with October.

The QX is near 2,000 sales. I'm sure that is one of its highest months ever. The G combined hit 6,000+ sales. That's probably among its highest monthly sales. The new M spent the majority of the year with sales south of 1,000 units.

In other words falter or not, I'm sure Infiniti is okay with this month sales despite the drop.


knowitall1985knowitall1985 - 1/4/2012 7:21:07 PM
+1 Boost
Infiniti is a second tier luxury car at best. They simply don't have the money it takes to develop world class products....NEXT!!!


iamdabest1iamdabest1 - 1/4/2012 7:28:18 PM
+1 Boost
im SHOCKED the QX outsold the fx and ex combined..


knowitall1985knowitall1985 - 1/4/2012 7:39:09 PM
+2 Boost
End of year for trucks with over 6000gvwr to get tax write off.....


knowitall1985knowitall1985 - 1/4/2012 7:39:41 PM
+1 Boost
Audi beat them....WOW!!!


FromThePassengerSeatFromThePassengerSeat - 1/4/2012 7:48:41 PM
+1 Boost
Evidently the Versa ads proclaiming the thing's best-in-class rear seat space did the trick. What a shame - all those buyers will never know what they're missing from behind the wheel of a Fit, Mazda2 or Sonic.


infiniti_G35cinfiniti_G35c - 1/4/2012 10:40:31 PM
+2 Boost
I am not shocked Audi beat Infiniti. How could anyone be? Audi spend the last two years introducing onslaught of new products that resonate really well with consumers. Audi's became modern and high-fashion is all.

With Infiniti, they absolutely do not have the same R&D money as MB or BMW but I think they make great cars. Problem is, the FX and EX are in need of major redesigns (the FX is polarizing and the EX is not functional). The G-series is in for a redesign (albeit doing really well in sales).

Keep in mind, Infiniti has a smaller lineup than the Audi brand and less engine choices.

It goes without saying, I think Infiniti definitely has it's work cut out. Nissan needs to spend more money marketing their vehicles and continue to analyze consumer behavior for what's "in."

Infiniti should focus its efforts on bringing a Small, Functional, competitive Crossover to the market. A more modern G-sedan and coupe will help push the model, while an M-Coupe would help push the brand. Styling needs to become less polarizing and more modern (even if in-keeping Infiniti's 'organic' lines).




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