Nissan Group Stumbles in December But Sees Growth for 2017

The Nissan Group, which includes Nissan and Infiniti, set an all-time record for sales in 2017.

The company announced its total calendar year 2017 U.S. sales of 1,593,464 units is an all-time record. It was a 1.9-percent increase compared to 2016, despite having a slow December where it saw a decrease of 9.5 percent compared to the previous year. The Nissan division led the way by setting an all-time record with 1,440,049 total sales, a one-percent increase. And for the second year in a row, the Rogue crossover was Nissan’s top seller with 403,465 sales, an increase of 22 percent. Another all-time record for the brand are the sales of Nissan trucks, SUVs, and crossovers, with 765,624 units sold last year, a 15-percent increase.

In terms of cars, the Nissan Altima was the brand’s best seller at 254,996 units sold. That is, however, a 17-percent drop from 2016. In fact, Nissan’s cars saw a total decrease of 10.9 percent year-over-year, while its trucks (which includes crossovers and SUVs) saw an increase of 14.5 percent. It’s a shift most automakers in the U.S. are seeing, as more consumers switch from traditional cars to crossovers and SUVs.

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Nissan’s luxury arm, Infiniti, saw a 10.9-percent increase in sales last year, moving a total of 153,415 vehicles compared to 138,293 in 2016. Helping lead the way for Infiniti were the Q50 sedan at 40,739 units and the QX60 crossover at 40,444 units. Both models, however, saw a decrease year-over-year of 7.4 percent and four percent, respectively. The biggest growth for cars came from the Q60 with 10,751 units sold in 2017 compared to 3,970 the year prior, marking a 170.8-percent jump. The new QX30 also saw a nice boost with 14,093 units sold compared to 2,259 in 2016.

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