Nissan Sets U.S. Sales Target Of 1 Million Units By 2005

Autoparts Report, Oct 3, 2002

Nissan Motor Co. is looking to sell close to a million or more vehicles in the U.S. market by early 2005, up substantially from its current annual sales of 700,000, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Jack Collins, marketing and product planning chief for the Japanese auto maker's North American operations, told the Journal that sales of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles will likely increase some "30 percent to 50 percent" -- given "reasonable" market conditions and "barring major upheavals" -- in the next few years.

Nissan has a number of new vehicles planned for the next two years, including a full-size sport-utility vehicle and pickup truck, that will help the company reach its targets.

Growth in the U.S. market is essential for Nissan, a company that was bailed out of bankruptcy in early 1999 but has since begun bouncing back with the help from France's Renault SA. North American sales contribute a substantial amount of Nissan's profits.

Collins said the anticipated sales growth in the U.S. will come as part of Nissan's medium-term strategy to boost its global sales by one million vehicles to 3.6 million vehicles by March 2005. About 300,000 vehicles of the targeted growth are expected to come from North America.

Nissan's new product offerings began with a launch of the midsize Altima car a year ago. The Infiniti G35 sedan and the latest iteration of Nissan's Z sports car hit dealer showrooms this year.

Among key products coming out in the next two years are the Nissan Murano, a midsize SUV based on the Altima platform which is slated to go on sale later this year; the Infiniti FX45, a sporty car/SUV crossover due out in early 2003; a full-size Nissan pickup truck; and a full-size SUV for both Nissan and Infiniti, the Journal said.