Nissan North America Achieves Record U.S. Market Share of 9.7% in March; Altima Best-Selling Sedan in America

FRANKLIN, Tenn., April 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) today reported a record U.S. market share of 9.7 percent in March – the highest share ever achieved in any month in the company's history.  In the first quarter of 2011 NNA achieved 9.3 percent share, a gain of 0.3 points over the same period last year, building on the 0.4 point gain the company made in calendar year 2010.

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In addition, the Nissan Altima sold 32,289 units in March to become the best-selling sedan in America, the first time the model has ever achieved this distinction.

In March, NNA achieved sales of 121,141 units versus 95,468 units a year earlier, an increase of 26.9 percent.  Nissan Division sales were up 28.4 percent for the month and also set a record for any month.  Sales of Infiniti vehicles rose 13.5 percent over the prior year and marked the 14th consecutive month of double digit sales improvement.

"Nissan had an outstanding first quarter, increasing sales and gaining market share across our refreshed product lineup," said Carlos Tavares, chairman, Nissan Americas.  "We had many success stories in the first quarter, from our redesigned products like the Nissan Altima and Rogue – to new contributors like the Juke, LEAF and Quest."

NISSAN HIGHLIGHTS

• Nissan Division (109,854 sales) was up 28.4 percent over March 2010 for a market share of 8.8 percent – a record for any month.
• Nissan Rogue (14,174) was up 68.8 percent versus prior year and also set an all-time volume record in March.
• Nissan Sentra (17,851) was up 104.7 percent versus last year.
• Market reception of the Nissan Juke continues to be enthusiastic, with 4,089 Juke sales posted in March.
• Nissan LEAF all-electric vehicle posted sales of 298 units, for a total of 452 units in the United States since its December launch.

INFINITI HIGHLIGHTS

• Infiniti Division (11,287 sales) was up 13.5 percent over the prior year, posting 14 consecutive monthly double digit sales increases on top of being the fastest growing import luxury brand in the U.S. in 2010.
• Infiniti G sedan (5,119 sales) was up 27.3 percent versus prior year.
• Infiniti QX56 (1,355 sales) was up 30.2 percent versus prior year and set a new March record.

NOTE: To ensure consistency in global sales reporting, Nissan North America calculates monthly variances on a straight-percentage basis, unadjusted for the number of selling days. March 2011 had 27 selling days, while March 2010 had 26 selling days.

In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing.  Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program 2010 and has been recognized as a 2010 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. More information on Nissan in North America, the Nissan LEAF and zero emissions can be found at www.nissanusa.com.

SOURCE Nissan North America, Inc.