NISSAN NORTH AMERICA SALES UP 10.4% IN JANUARY

New January records for Nissan Versa and Rogue

Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) maintained momentum from a strong 2011 finish with January sales of 79,313 units versus 71,847 units a year earlier, an increase of 10.4 percent. Nissan Division sales rose 12.5 percent for the month to 72,517 units. Sales of Infiniti vehicles decreased 8.2 percent from the prior year, 6,796 units.

NISSAN HIGHLIGHTS

• Nissan Division delivered 72,517 units in January, an increase of 12.5 percent over the 64,442 units sold in January 2011.

• Nissan set a new January record for Nissan Versa  sales with 9,418 deliveries, up 8.5 percent over the prior year.

• Sales of Nissan Altima, the industry's second-best selling passenger car in 2011, increased 35.9 percent to 22,357 in January.

• Nissan Rogue  sales set a new January record at 9,904 units, up 5.1 percent.

• Nissan's truck lineup delivered a 21.6 percent gain over last January, led by Frontier (up 35.3 percent) and Pathfinder (up 30.6 percent).

• Deliveries of the all-electric Nissan LEAF totaled 676 in January, marking 10,369 U.S. sales for the world's best-selling electric car since its December 2010 launch.

Courtesy Of www.nissannews.com

• In the U.S., Nissan gained market share for the sixth consecutive year, ending 2011 with 8.2 percent of the U.S. market, up from 6 percent just a few years ago

• In Mexico, Nissan has been the market leader for three consecutive years and ended 2011 with a record market share of 24.8 percent, up 1.7 points from the prior year

• In Brazil, Nissan's business has been rapidly expanding with sales that nearly doubled in 2011. Nissan was Brazil's fastest-growing automotive brand in 2011 and is now the 7th best-selling car brand in the country

• In Latin America, Nissan finished 2011 with 10 percent market share for the first time, up 0.4 points from the prior year

NISSAN SALES INCREASE 7.7% FOR RECORD DECEMBER

2011 best-ever year for Nissan Div. up 17.3% on strength of Altima, Rogue, Versa

Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) today reported record December U.S. sales of 100,927 units versus 93,730 units a year earlier, an increase of 7.7 percent. Nissan Division sales also set a new December record, increasing 10.7 percent for the month to 89,937 units.

NNA finished the calendar year with 2011 sales totaling 1,042,534 units, with the Nissan Division seeing a record year with sales of 944,073 units and Infiniti closing the year with 98,461 deliveries.

NISSAN HIGHLIGHTS

• Nissan vehicles posted record December sales with 89,937 units, an increase of 10.7 percent over the 81,228 units sold in December 2010.

• In 2011, Nissan vehicles achieved a record, with sales of 944,073 units a 17.3 percent increase over 2010.

• The Nissan Altima continues to rank among the best-selling cars in the United States, with 25,976 units in December marking an increase of 12.9 percent over the prior year. Altima sales totaled 268,981 in 2011, a 17.3 percent increase from 2010 deliveries.

• Versa, spurred by the all-new 2012 Versa Sedan, saw record yearly sales, totaling 99,730 for 2011.

• The Rogue crossover also delivered a December record, as well as a calendar year record, with sales of 12,286 units in December (up 18.6 percent) contributing to an annual total of 124,543 a 25.1 percent increase over last year.

• Nissan's truck lineup showed significant gains over last December, up 27.5 percent led by Frontier (up 48.7 percent) and Murano (up 13.3 percent).

• Sales of the 100-percent electric Nissan LEAF totaled 954 units in December, with deliveries totaling 9,674 since the vehicle's December 2010 U.S. debut. With sales exceeding 21,000 globally, the Nissan LEAF is the world's best-selling electric car.

"Although 2011 had some unique challenges stemming from natural disasters in Japan and Thailand and uncertain economic conditions around the globe, Nissan managed the crisis better than most, allowing our lineup to gain momentum throughout the year" said Al Castignetti, vice president and general manager, Nissan Sales. "Strong consumer demand for vehicles like the Altima, Rogue, Versa and LEAF helped propel us to a record 2011. With new core Nissan models on the way, we expect 2012 to be even better."

Courtesy of www.nissannews.com

NISSAN NORTH AMERICA REPORTS 19.4% INCREASE IN NOVEMBER SALES

Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) today reported record November U.S. sales of 85,182 units versus 71,366 units a year earlier, an increase of 19.4 percent. Nissan Division sales also set a new November record, increasing 21.5 percent for the month to 76,754 units. Sales of Infiniti vehicles increased 3 percent from the prior year, to 8,428 units.

NISSAN HIGHLIGHTS

• Nissan vehicles posted record November sales with 76,754 units, an increase of 21.5 percent over the 63,184 units sold in November 2010.

• Versa led by brisk demand for the all-new 2012 Versa Sedan set a new November record with 9,291 deliveries, an increase of 38.2 percent over the prior year.

• The Rogue crossover also delivered a November record with sales of 10,845 units marking a 27.2 percent increase over last year.

• The Nissan Altima maintains its place among the industry's leading passenger cars, with 20,613 units marking an increase of 12.2 percent over the prior year and a new November record.

• Nissan's lineup of trucks, SUVs and crossovers all showed gains over last November, led by the Frontier pickup (up 37.8 percent) and Pathfinder (up 26.3 percent).

• Sales of the 100-percent electric Nissan LEAF totaled 672 units in November, with deliveries totaling 8,738 units of the innovative, zero-emission vehicle since its December 2010 U.S. debut.

• Nissan Commercial Vehicles continues to build awareness for the 2012 Nissan NV commercial van, resulting in 1,238 deliveries, its best month since its Spring 2011 launch.

"Strong gains across our lineup extended Nissan's record-breaking October into our best-ever November," said Al Castignetti, vice president and general manager, Nissan Sales. "We expect to finish 2011 on a high note with vehicles like Altima, Versa, Sentra and Rogue leading Nissan to a strong close in December and into an even better 2012."

Tri-State Nissan Express Service

• Serving Winchester, Front Royal & Martinsburg

It's been 8 months since  Tri-State Nissan launched its Express Service program.  What a great success it is, but I must admit  I have been amazed how complicated it is to provide this service.  Would you like to know how it works?

For decades most dealerships have lost a huge percentage of their customers to the aftermarket repair shops.  Usually this was because most customers didn't want to invest a day for simple vehicle maintenance and the quick lube shops filled this need for fast service.  Nissan realized this was an area that dealerships could improve on so they introduced the Express Service program.  At first glance you would think that it would be simple to do Oil changes and such quickly.  However, as I have found out, it's not.

Everything is set up for speed and accuracy.  We have to keep an inventory of parts in the express lube bays so the technicians do not have to wait in line at the parts department.  Next we have a dedicated Express Service adviser.  His job is only to handle Express Service such as Oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements and battery replacements.  Working with him is a minimum of two Express Technicians.  These guys do not work on any other vehicles then express.  It takes two Express Technicians per vehicle being worked on.

One technician is called the "Dry" tech.  His job is to pull the vehicle onto the rack, test the basic operations of several components of the vehicle and to make sure the vehicle is lifted safely.  He also will perform a visual inspection of the condition of the vehicle and provide recommendations for additional maintenance or repairs needed.  The second tech is the "wet" technician.  His job is to change the oil and replace filters ect.  These guys work very closely together at the same time to provide the Express part of the service.  While the second tech is replacing your oil and such the dry tech is providing his recommendation to the Express advisor who shortly will provide this to the customer.  Before the vehicle is pulled around the express advisor begins to close out the paperwork and will take the customer to the cashier for payment.  Typically once this happens the vehicle should be coming around shortly and be ready for delivery.  When this process works properly we can provide very quick service.

Typically a simple oil change will be done in less than 30 minutes.  It will take a little longer if additional services are requested. In fact we guarantee 30 minutes or the next service is free, ask for complete details. With this process in place our customers don't need appointments for oil changes and express service is first come first served.  So far our customers love it and can't believe how fast we can get them in and out.

Tri-State Nissan Express Service

Last is the price, I just recently completed a survey of oil change prices in our area and was surprised to find out that the average oil change costs around $38.00.  This makes our $34.95 price a real deal and at $27.95 for our Gold card customers it's a flat steal.  Our prices are cheaper with a quality Nissan oil filter and quality oil.  Not to mention, factory trained technicians are taking care of your vehicle.  Oh, by the way, did you know that most vehicles need a new oil plug gasket installed with an oil change? I didn't think so, evidently the aftermarket shops don't know this either.

Serving Winchester, Front Royal And Martinsburg Area

If you haven't tried Tri-State Nissan Express Service yet I urge you to give it a go.  They are open M-F 8-5 and Saturdays 8-4.  Tri-State Nissan serves Winchester VA, Front Royal, VA and Martinsburg WV.

Altima Reigns as Top-Selling Vehicle in Nissan's North American Lineup

In celebration of the Nissan Altima's sales success over the past two decades, Nissan today announced a special "20th Anniversary Package" for its 2012 Nissan Altima Sedan. Total Altima sales in the United States have topped 3.6 million since its introduction in September 1992, making it one of the best-selling vehicles in Nissan history.

The special 20th Anniversary Package includes 16-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, fog lights, rear spoiler, automatic auto on/off headlights, leather-wrapped steering wheel, Bluetooth® Hands-free Phone System, Home Link® Universal Transceiver and additional equipment.

Altima, which is now in its fourth generation, is the best-selling nameplate in the Nissan lineup and brings many first-time Nissan buyers into the brand. It has also been the second best selling car in the U.S. in 2011 (through October, trucks excluded), ahead of Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata and Ford Fusion. Sales in 2011 to date are up 18.3 percent. Altima has also been made in the United States throughout its history, originally in Smyrna, Tenn. and later Canton, Miss. (in addition to Smyrna) and is now exported from the U.S. to many countries around the world.

A Risky Introduction in 1992

As a little known point of trivia, when the original Altima appeared in mid-1992 as a 1993 model, it officially carried two names and two badges ? Altima and Stanza. Though the Stanza name was there more for regulatory compliance than a lack of confidence in renaming the middle vehicle in Nissan's longstanding Sentra-Stanza-Maxima three-sedan lineup, there were concerns at the time about the public's acceptance and ability to pronounce the new Altima name ? enough that guidelines were distributed explaining the proper syllable emphasis.

• The 1^st generation Altima, which was sold during model years 1993 to 1997, featured a 150-horsepower 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine, 15-inch wheels and then somewhat radical "rounded" styling created by Nissan's California design studio.

• The 2^nd generation Altima followed in 1998 and was produced through the 2001 model year. Once again designed in California and manufactured in Tennessee, it had more power (155 hp by 2000) and a more responsive driving feel. It also offered a much more comfortable interior, a higher quality feel and additional equipment options. For 2001, the first Limited Edition model was introduced.

• The 3^rd generation really put Altima on the map. Built on an all-new platform, it was produced in model years 2002 through 2006. This new design had up to 18-inch wheels and was the first Altima series to offer a 3.5-liter V6 in addition to its now 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine. It also featured a larger interior, improved handling and more aggressive styling. With consistently strong reviews by media and consumers alike, Altima helped lead Nissan's product resurgence in the early part of the new century. The 2002 Altima was named "North American Car of the Year," the first Asian nameplate to win the coveted award. It was also named 2002 "Best of the Year" by MotorWeek on PBS. And, for the first time the automotive media deemed that Altima was not only an alternative to the leading mid-size sedans, it was equal to or better than the longstanding sales leaders in the segment. A sporty SE-R model also made an appearance in the lineup in the 2005 model year.

• The 4^th and current generation Altima design (2007 to present) has  far outpaced all of its predecessors, offering more of just about everything ? including the addition of a dramatic new Altima Coupe for the 2008 model year. Unlike most coupe models in the class, which merely took their sedan model and removed the rear doors, the Altima Coupe featured unique bodywork from the A-pillar back and was designed inside, out and underneath to offer a more sporty style and performance to match the desires of 2-door Altima buyers.

"What started as a challenger to the mainstream sedans has now become one of the true anchor vehicles in the segment, pushing for the top sales position throughout much of this past spring and summer," said Castignetti. "What's most encouraging, of course, is that Altima still has nothing in common with the common sedan and stands out as a cut above the ordinary for people who want more style, power, comfort and value. It's innovation that lasts, innovation for all."

NISSAN NORTH AMERICA SALES RISE 19.2% IN AUGUST

• Nissan vehicles posted August sales of 82,517 units, an increase of 22.4 percent over the 67,399 units sold in August 2010.
• The launch of the all-new Versa Sedan  helped boost sales of the Versa subcompact by 14.9 percent to 8,566 in August.
• Strong sales of the Nissan Altima  continue, with 23,016 units marking an August increase of 24.5 percent over the prior year.
• Sales of the Rogue  crossover achieved a record in August, up 13.2 percent with 11,467 deliveries.
• Deliveries of all-electric Nissan LEAF totaled 1,362 in August, with 6,187 units sold since its December 2010 launch.
• The Nissan Juke  continues to outperform earlier projections, with August sales totaling 3,464 units.