Nissan kicks off 2008 with strong fleet sector growth

March saw Nissan powering ahead in the fleet market, capturing 8,636 car sales – up an impressive 86 per cent over 2007 – and underpinning a great first three months in which fleet sales have increased by 46 per cent to total 12,759 units.

March fleet car sales up 86 per cent at 8,636 units
YTD fleet car sales up 46 per cent at 12,759
YTD combined fleet car/LCV sales up 42 per cent at 15,260
Note, Qashqai, X-Trail and Micra sales were outstanding
Navara retains top spot in Pickup market

Light commercial vehicles also delivered a substantial sales growth, in a very competitive market place, with March sales totalling 1,713 – which contributed to the first quarter results, up to a total of 2,501 units, a 23 per cent improvement on 2007.

These figures come against a backdrop of buoyant retail sales which, combined with fleet, have ensured total Nissan sales YTD of 15,260 units, a rise of 42 per cent, and significantly outperforming the market.

Note, Nissan’s agile, fun to drive, family hatchback with the space and comfort of a C-segment car, has been a particularly strong fleet performer, with sales up by over 2,800 so far this year at 5,496 units. But it is only part of the story behind growing fleet sales which reflect the diversity, appeal and strength in depth of the Nissan range.

“While Note has been particularly popular, Nissan’s core fleet market performance has been strong generally, with an increase of nearly 80 per cent, driven not only by the introduction of Qashqai, but also by other models such as Micra and X-Trail,” says Paul Willcox, Nissan’s managing director.

Indeed, the segment-defining, multi-award winning Qashqai, Nissan’s innovative compact crossover, has been a huge success in both the fleet and retail sectors, with over 25,000 units sold since launching in the UK last year. To the end of March, it had chalked up 2,813 fleet sales and contributed to 15 per cent of Nissan’s car sales growth.

“Customer response to Qashqai has been outstanding, vindicating our bold approach to pushing styling boundaries,” says Paul Willcox, Nissan’s managing director. “It has clearly tapped into a strong desire for a distinctive crossover design with SUV overtones that blends a raised driving position, generous interior space and enjoyable driving characteristics.”

The new X-Trail, meanwhile, has proved a resounding success, with strong sales into the fleet sector.

And in the Pickup market, Navara continues to be the number one best seller with 1,624 sales, a continuation of its strong performance in 2007, in what is a very competitive marketplace.

Sales are very much dominated by higher end models with around half accounted for by the top of the range Aventura, clearly underlining Navara’s premium positioning within the sector.

“Customers have voted with their wallets and recognised the Navara for the outstanding pick-up it is,” comments Paul Willcox. “We always knew its combination of qualities held huge potential, a view endorsed by several press awards, and now it has assumed the position it rightly deserves and firmly established itself as top dog in the segment.”