NISSAN'S 2011 LCV SALES PERFORMANCE BLOWS THE DOORS OFF 2010
- Nissan is UK's best performing LCV brand in 2011
- Retail and fleet sales up 203 and 159 per cent respectively
- Strong sales start to 2012 gaining 5.0 per cent market share in January
Nissan has reported a remarkable 174 per cent increase in sales of its LCV range in 2011 compared with 2010, making it the UK's best performing LCV manufacturer brand.
It sold 10,854 commercial vehicles, which equates to a 4.2 per cent share of the total light commercial vehicle (LCV) market, compared with 6,223 sales and a 2.8 per cent market share in 2010.
Three models helped contribute to the overall sales success, the Primastar (up 201 per cent to 1,410), the NV200 (up 191 per cent to 2,920) and the Navara (up 187 per cent to 6,291).
Sales to the retail sector, which includes small businesses, saw the biggest sales success, with LCV sales up 203 per cent to 4,267 in 2011, a 6.1 per cent market share.
Fleet performance was also strong generating 6,587 sales, a 159 per cent increase over 2010, representing a 3.5 per cent share of the sector.
Nissan has also started 2012 extremely well with 722 sales in January, equivalent to a 5.0 per cent market share, up from its 697 sales and 4.1 per cent market share in January 2011.
Explaining this healthy sales success Francis Bleasdale, Nissan Motor GB's LCV sales and marketing director said: "A great hunger and performance from our dealer network, in particular our 57 business centre dealers, some excellent retail finance offers and a renewed interest in the Nissan LCV range from the fleet sector can all take credit for this excellent sales growth.
"This was achieved despite only launching the NV400 range at the end of 2011. The full impact of this exciting addition to the range will be more evident during 2012," he said.
Bleasdale has high hopes of continued growth in 2012. "There are signs that fleets in particular are starting to replace their LCVs after extending replacement cycles during 2009 and 2010 which should help fuel sales. And our dealer network is also reporting a strong demand for used Nissan LCVs," he added.
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About Nissan in the UK
- Nissan Sunderland Plant manufactures the Nissan Qashqai, the Nissan Note and the Nissan Juke and will manufacture the 100% electric Nissan LEAF from 2013
- Production of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles begins next year
- Total plant volume since 1986 stands at more than six million units
- Total investment made and announced since then is £3.3 billion
- 2010 production of 423,262 was the first time a UK car plant had manufactured more than 400,000 units in one year
- In 2010 81 per cent of production was exported to 97 markets worldwide
- Sunderland Plant currently employs 5,000 staff
