Nissan announces production, sales and export results for April 2004

Tokyo -- Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced production, sales and export figures for April.

Production

Nissan's global production in April climbed 16.5% over the same month a year earlier to 261,352 units.

Domestic production rose 12.3% to 122,818 units, boosted by strong demand for the X‑TRAIL both in Japan and in overseas markets and the continued popularity of the Cube and the Cube Cubic.

Overseas production in April surged 20.4% over a year ago to 138,534 units.

In the U.S., output soared 61.6% to 61,850 units, driven by robust sales of the popular Altima and full-scale production of the new Quest minivan, the Armada sport utility vehicle (SUV) and the Titan pickup truck, among other factors. Production in Mexico, however, declined 6.3% to 22,328 units.

In Europe, production in the U.K. dipped 2.7% to 26,059 units, owing to lower demand for the Micra (March in Japan) . Output in Spain also fell 10.2% to 8,883 units.

Sales

Nissan's domestic registrations in April were down 9.2% from a year ago to 39,716 units, due largely to lower sales of the Teana, launched in February 2003, which caused the overall registration volume to drop slightly. Nissan's share of the domestic registered vehicle market in April slipped 0.9 percentage point from a year earlier to 16.7%.

However, domestic sales, including minicars, edged up 0.3% in April to 46,167 units, thanks in large part to soaring sales of the Moco that underwent a minor model change in February. Moco sales jumped 93.6% over a year ago to 4,374 units. Including the minicar segment, Nissan's domestic market share in April rose 0.1 percentage point to 12.2%.

In the U.S., April sales advanced 14% from a year earlier to 69,470 units. Nissan brand sales grew 14.3% to 59,491 units, due to increased sales of the Altima, among other models. Sales of Nissan's Infiniti luxury brand also rose 12.5% to 9,979 units, helped by the strong popularity of the Infiniti G35 (Skyline in Japan). In Canada, sales were down 9.2% to 6,044 units, but sales in Mexico rose 10.3% to 15,635 units.

In Europe, sales increased 7.7% to 47,213 units, driven by higher sales volumes for the Micra, the X‑TRAIL and the 350Z (Fairlady Z in Japan), which was released in the European market in September last year.

Exports from Japan

Nissan's exports in April were up 4.3% from a year ago to 57,750 units. While shipments to North America declined 13.9% to 20,381 units on account of lower exports of the Pathfinder, exports to Europe climbed 11.3% to 10,042 units on the back of rising sales of the X‑TRAIL.

Shipments to other regions showed large growth, as exports to Latin America advanced 21.9% to 4,041, exports to Oceania rose 20.7% to 7,241 units and exports to Asia grew 30.6% to 8,983 units. Exports to China alone soared 69.8% to 4,373 units, propelled by robust sales of the new Sunny.

Global Production by Country

*1 Others include production in Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines, South Africa, Indonesia and China excluding CKD  production.   

Global Unit Sales by Main Market (Region)

*2 Japan sales are categorized into passenger cars and commercial vehicles based on chassis.                    
*3 U.S. sales are based on retail including Hawaii.                    
     DSR (daily selling rate)-adjusted year-on-year change in Apr. is +14.0%.                    
     Nissan Division:  59,491 units                    
     Infiniti Division:     9,979 units                    
*4 Canada and Mexico sales are based on retail.                    
*5 North America sales are based on retail including Guam, Saipan and other islands.                    
*6 Europe sales are based on retail in the whole Europe including Turkey and Israel from the May 2002 results.              

      
Vehicle Exports from Japan

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