TOKYO (March 24, 2006)--Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., today announced production, sales, and export results for February.
1. Production
February global production totaled 291,625 units, down 8.2% year-on-year.
In Japan, production shrank by 19.9% year-on-year to 119,206 units due to reduced production of the Cube and March compact cars, as well as the X‑TRAIL SUV.
Overseas production rose 2.1% year-on-year to 172,419 units, marking a record for the month of February.
In the US, production fell 10.7% year-on-year to 68,891 units amid reduced output of the Xterra SUV and the Titan full-size pickup truck. Output in Mexico increased 5.0% year-on-year to 34,134 units, buoyed by increased production of the Tsuru compact sedan and the Pickup.
In the UK, production increased 1.9% year-on-year to 26,616 units due to the start of local production of the Note compact car. In Spain, production rose 22.6% from the year before to 17,274 units following the start of local production of the Navara pickup truck last May.
In Nissan’s General Overseas Markets (all markets except for the US, Japan, and Europe), production rose 33.9% year-on-year to 25,504 units. In China alone, output rose 115.3% to 15,522 units, supported by local production of the Tiida compact sedan and hatchback.
2. Sales
In Japan, February registrations fell 15.8% year-on-year to 68,129 units. Although sales of the new Serena minivan and Bluebird Sylphy sedan were strong, slower sales of the Note compact car and the Lafesta minivan, which were both introduced last fiscal year, weighed on overall output. Nissan’s share of the newly registered vehicle market in February fell 3.3 percentage points from a year earlier to 19.3%.
Including minivehicles, Nissan’s domestic sales in February dropped 7.5% to 83,182 units. The new model Moco, launched at the beginning of February, recorded particularly healthy sales, rising 39.4% year-on-year to 8,820 units. Nissan’s market share for February, including minivehicles, stood at 15.6%, down 1.4 percentage points from the previous year.
In the US, Nissan sales rose 2.2% year-on-year to 84,241 units, a record for the month of February. Nissan channel sales rose 3.3% year-on-year to 74,997 units, thanks to the strong performance of the Murano crossover SUV and the Sentra compact sedan. Infiniti channel sales fell 5.5% to 9,244 units, due to slower sales of Infiniti G35 (Skyline in Japan). Sales in Canada in February fell 13.0% to 4,017 units. Mexican sales also fell, dropping 2.8% to 18,337 units.
In Europe, sales amounted to 33,817 units in February, down 2.1% year-on-year, amid slower sales of the Pickup.
3. Exports
Exports from Japan in February amounted to 59,064 units, down 8.1% year-on-year.
Exports to the US rose 3.0% to 22,355 units, buoyed by rising shipments of the Murano crossover SUV.
Exports to Europe fell 37.8% to 6,800 units amid slower sales of the Pickup following the start of production of the Navara pickup in Spain.
Exports to the Middle East continued on a strong upward trend, increasing 31.2% year-on-year to 11,939 units, thanks to the start of Tiida compact car shipments to the region. Exports to Asia dropped 40.0% to 5,596 units amid slower shipments of the X‑TRAIL SUV and pickup trucks.
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