Chart Of The Day: A Changing Nissan?

by Edward Niedermeyer

Published: July 20th, 2010

15 years ago, these six cars were Nissan. Sure, they sold a few Zs back in ’95 (4,176, actually), and the 240SX was in its last year of five-digit sales, but the Altima, Maxima, Sentra, Frontier, Quest and Pathfinder were the bread and butter. Needless to say, things change over 15 years, and though Nissan still sells all of these vehicles (excepting the Quest’s 2010 model-year hiatus), they’re no longer the reliable core they once were. Yes, the Altima sells like hotcakes, but Nissan’s other core nameplates are on steady steady glidepaths downwards, and the brand’s volume is largely being maintained by the introduction of new models. And as is so often the case in business, this shift away from core strengths is being rewarded by some thorough housecleaning. Having spent quite a bit of today talking with Nissan consultant Sharyn Bovat, yesterday’s rhetorical question What The Foxtrot Is Going On At Nissan is starting to come into sharper focus. Expect full reporting shortly, but in the mean time know this: things are changing at Nissan. My question now: does this chart help explain why?

#ChartOfTheDay #NewCars #Nissan #Sales

Edward Niedermeyer

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9 of 49 comments

Dave M. on Jul 21, 2010

Orange gauges. Get rid of them. Methinks Hyundai's rising has come at Nissan's and Mazda's expense, as well as the domestics. And while the larger Altima has crowded Maxima territory, the last 2 generations do not have the styling cajones that say 'flagship'.

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Conslaw on Jul 21, 2010

I don't have the issue in front of me, but in the CR tests, the Altima fuel economy was at or near the head of its class. I think it was 26 or 27 city and 38 highway. The Sonata was 27 or 28 city and 38 or 39 highway. Most of the 4-cylinder competition were around 24 city and 35 highway. The Altima bumped its MPG ratings for 2010. I think they might have altered their engine and transmission programing to favor fuel economy, because it seems like the 2010 model that CR tested was a tick or two behind the 2008 model they tested in 0-60. I had an Altima S rental car a couple years ago and observed (measured) MPG of 25 in snow and often subzero conditions with almost no highway driving, so I can believe that it would have gotten 27 in better weather. I liked the CVT. I didn't care fore the spartan cabin or the orange-lit instruments.

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Wagen on Jul 21, 2010

What's with all the comments against orange lighting on the gauges? BMW manages to pull them off just fine; no one is complaining about those.

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- FleetofWheel on Jul 21, 2010
  
  Red and orange colors connote warnings and trouble. Hence red traffic lights, exit signs, fire trucks, orange safety cones, construction signs and on and on. Seems like it will soon be possible for all cars to have a rheostat knob near the gauge cluster so that you can dial in any color you like from the ROYGBIV palette. Maybe a sense of 'danger' was Nissan's intent like dance tracks that have a wailing siren as part of the rhythm to add a menacing street vibe.
  
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- Russycle on Jul 21, 2010
  
  The rods used by the eye for night vision are less sensitive to red light, so red or orange lit dashboards help preserve your night vision. On an anecdotal level, I have one car with orange dash lights and another with white and blue. I prefer orange at night. My wife has cell phone with a tiny blue LED, if that thing's flashing while I'm driving at night it drives me nuts. The USB drive with a flashing orange light that usually sits next to the phone, I never even notice.
  
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- Wagen on Jul 21, 2010
  
  I would hope that whatever shade of orange Nissan uses, they choose distinctly different shades of yellow (warning, but no immediate action necessary - low fuel, perhaps) and red (immediate attention required - oil pressure low) for warnings that contrast clearly with the majority of the IP lighting.
  
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- Srogers on Jul 21, 2010
  
  I would hope that any sentient being would realize that the orange dash lighting doesn't indicate an emergency after the first few minutes of occupying the vehicle without flames or explosions.
  
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- NulloModo on Jul 22, 2010
  
  I like orange gauges. My last car had them, and yes, they were good at night. I don't mind blue either, and I also very much like the sort of purple hue that VW used to (or maybe still does? I haven't been in a recent VW at night) use. In fact, the only gauges that really bug me are the Toyota ones that have a very plain yellowish white glow at night, they just look cheap.
  
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Musiccitymafia on Jul 22, 2010

Hmm ... are these US sales only or do they include Can and Mex sales. Granted these countries have smaller markets, but Nissan has been charging in both of them over the period reflected on the graph.

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