Nissan Sales Slide 17.7%
Nissan's numbers are finally available, and they're not looking hot, either. Unadjusted ('cause that's how we roll) June sales are down 17.7 percent overall, with trucks taking a 37.9 percent hit. Bright spots included the new Rogue CUV and a slight bump in Versa sales. Most cars held their own, with single digit percentage sales drops. Exceptions: the outgoing Maxima (uh, okay) and the incoming Murano (uh-oh, down 24 percent). Truck and minivan sales drops were impressive and as bad or worse than the other top six. Frontier led the way (-58.1 percent), followed by Quest (-62.3 percent), Armada (-63.4 percent), Xterra (-68.3 percent), Titan (-71.4 percent), and Pathfinder (-71.7 percent trailing. [Pause for picking your jaw up off the floor.] As bad as these numbers appear, the horrifying percentages were offset by Nissan's relatively small sales volumes; their truck line sold just 19K units last month. Still, Nissan has some production shifting to do, just like everyone else.
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theflyersfan : Dogs Love Trucks!!! Was that Nissan or Mazda? I honestly can't remember.
Dogs don't pay the bills... VBG! At least mine doesn't. The Versa is on our short list next time 'round. Small family hauler with a hatch and folding rear seat. Have moved alot of stuff with cars like that. Guy I know turned up his nose at the Versa saying it was just a sh**-box and then proceeded to buy a Focus... Uh - same small car qualities fella! What's the difference? For us the killer is the sedan only Focus. Not going to buy a small sedan. Not nearly as useful as a hatchback.
Axel - that was Nissan. I think they were run at the same time the GI Joe 300ZX Turbo (which was no longer built at that time) commercial was done - it had either the founder (or actor playing the founder) of Nissan holding a small dog. It's a crime that I see more Pathfinders with the green "E" Enterprise sticker on the tailgate than I see actual owners that own one. This, along with the 4Runner, was the end-all in the original Japanese 2-door SUV invasion and they were just some of the best built vehicles ever. I miss my old 4Runner from my West Africa days - gas was over $6/gal but that thing never got stuck and it never left me stranded. Also agree - that new Maxima is SHARP. It is too bad it is in the no-man's land of being between the V6 Altima and the Infiniti G35. I think the styling of the Maxima will set it apart and there are those of us who need front wheel drive for winter driving...and can't plunk down that much for an AWD G35. I think Nissan is like Mazda in this new automobile environment - they didn't overexpand into trucks and the Altima is a top seller. They also have the capacity to shift production around to make more cars. It will be a sad day in SUV history if the Pathfinder walks the plank...
@gamper, We also had a loaded 2005 Nissan Pathfinder LE 4x4 (navigation, etc.) bought in August 2005 and liked it. We traded it on a 2008 Sienna Limited AWD in December 2007 because two car seats didn't fit into it behind two six-foot-plus parents. It was a great vehicle for us, even though we only had it for 2 1/2 years. But boy, am I ever glad that I don't own it anymore. It's probably dropped $5-7k (or more) in value since last December.