Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. on January 28 announced production, sales and export results for December and calendar year 2007.
1.Production December
Nissan’s global production in December increased 15.5 percent year-on-year to 274,661 units, for an all-time record for the month of December.
New products such as the X-Trail, Rogue (launched in September in the U.S.) and Infiniti EX (launched in December in the U.S.) contributed to increased production at plants in Japan. Total domestic production grew 18.1 percent to 114,428 units compared to the previous year.
Overseas production rose 13.7 percent year-on-year to 160,233 units, marking a record production month.
In the U.S., production fell 9.4 percent year-on-year to 48,023 units, although production was strong for the Altima coupe.
In Mexico, the Versa (Tiida in Japan) contributed to a production growth of 10.4 percent year-on-year to 29,979 units.
In the U.K., the Qashqai (Dualis in Japan) led to a rise in production of 34.5 percent to 24,753 units.
Production in Spain grew 10.6 percent to 13,926 units compared to the same month in the year prior.
Other global markets saw production increase by 46.3 percent year-on-year to 43,552 units due to strong demand for the Livina, Bluebird Sylphy and Tiida in China, Frontier Navara in Thailand, and Grand Livina in Indonesia.
2007 Calendar Year
Nissan’s global production in 2007 rose 6.2 percent to 3,431,398 units compared to the year prior. In Japan, positive demand for the Infiniti G35 sedan/new G37 coupe (Skyline sedan/new coupe in Japan) and Rogue were countered by decreased demand for other models, resulting in total production falling 4.5 percent down to 1,179,080 units compared to the previous year.
Overseas production exceeded the 2 million mark, reaching a record of 2,252,318 units, up 12.9 percent year-on-year.
In the U.S., while Altima sedan/coupe production increased, total production fell 5.4 percent year-on-year to 703,662 units.
In Mexico, Versa and Sentra led the production increase by 22.0 percent to 496,713 units.
In the U.K., the Qashqai contributed to a production growth of 17.4 percent year-on-year to 353,718 units.
In Spain, the Navara pickup truck helped increase production by 8.2 percent year-on-year to 222,914 units.
Production in other regions grew 40.7 percent to 475,311 units compared to year prior boosted by strong demand for the Livina series in China, Indonesia and Taiwan.
2.Sales December
In Japan, Nissan’s vehicle registrations in December dropped 2.7 percent year-on-year to 34,416 units. The X-Trail and Elgrand continue to demonstrate favorable sales. Domestic sales of mini-vehicles were up 15.8 percent from the previous year to 9,355 units. Including mini-vehicles, Nissan sold 43,771 units in Japan, up 0.7 percent year-on-year.
The company’s share of the domestic market registrations in December was up 0.7 percentage points year-on-year to 14.6 percent, while the corresponding market share including mini-vehicles rose 1.2 percentage points to 11.9 percent.
Sales of new vehicles in the U.S. fell 2.4 percent* year-on-year to 89,555 units. However, the new Rogue launched in September, Versa and Altima are performing well.
In Europe, strong demand for Qashqai helped boost Nissan sales to 49,228 units, exceeding the previous year by 0.4 percent.
*US sales: -2.4 percent after equivalent adjustment for actual days of selling in December.
2007 Calendar Year
In Japan, Nissan’s vehicle registrations in 2007 fell 9.7 percent to 570,784 units. Qashqai was in strong demand with improved sales seen for certain models including the Skyline sedan/coupe and X-Trail. Domestic sales of mini-vehicles grew 11.5 percent to 150,189 units driven by demand for the Pino released in January. Including mini-vehicles, Nissan sold 720,973 units in Japan, down 6.0 percent over the prior year.
Nissan’s share of the domestic market fell 0.4 percentage points over the previous year at 16.6 percent, while its corresponding market share including mini-vehicles was up 0.1 percentage point to 13.5 percent.
In the U.S., Versa Altima and Rogue led to sales growth of 4.8 percent year-on-year to 1,068,238 units, surpassing the 1 million mark for the third consecutive year.
In Europe, sales rose 5.7 percent to 570,513 units compared to the year prior.
3.Exports from Japan December
Nissan’s exports in December grew 33.0 percent to 83,821 units compared with the previous year.
Exports to North America increased 32.5 percent year-on-year to 35,053 units.
Exports to Europe rose 77.7% to 9,437 units compared to the year prior.
2007 Calendar Year
Nissan’s exports in 2007 remained at 646,140 units comparable to the same level in calendar year 2006.
Exports to North America increased 3.4 percent year-on-year to 258,917 units.
Exports to Europe remained at the same level as the year prior at 80,289 units.
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