Nissan sales slump short-lived: Ghosn

[Guest Josh]

Nissan Motor Co. Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn sought to allay fears of a protracted fall in the auto maker's sales, characterizing last month's sudden, sharp slide as a short-lived reaction to the completion in September of a highly publicized sales drive.

Under its last business plan, Japan's second-biggest auto maker had promised to sell 3.6 million vehicles globally in the 12 months through September 30.

With the final tally at 3.671 million, Nissan delivered on all three commitments under the "Nissan 180" plan: 1 million additional sales versus fiscal 2001, an operating margin of at least 8 percent and zero automotive debt.

But in an evident payback from straining to reach the final and most difficult volume commitment, sales in October sank by double digits in all three major markets -- the United States, Japan and Europe -- and industry analysts are wondering how long the impact will last.

Ghosn, the celebrity chief executive of Nissan and its French alliance partner Renault SA, sought to put their minds at ease saying last month's performance was an aberration, and predicted a return to normality by December.

Full Story: http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle....UTOS-NISSAN.xml

[aaaantoine]

Reporters tend to fail in mentioning GM's Employee Pricing program when talking about their drastic sales declines...

[cmattson]

Hmm.. imagine that. Gas prices receed and the sales slump goes away for a performance-bent car company. Who'd have guessed?

[Guest carpetbagger]

nissan makes garbage vehicles even the infiniti models

[Variance]

nissan makes garbage vehicles

even the infiniti models

[post="48327"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

It'd be nice if you'd could quantify this (and you're being all-sweeping about it at that).

Have you personally owned or even test-driven any Nissan or Infiniti vehicles to say something like that? Edited November 25, 2005 by VarianceJ30

[sciguy_0504]

Sentras are crap but my dad's Altima isn't bad at all.

[CaddyXLR-V]

I wouldnt say Infinitis are crap, I wouldnt mind a G35 coupe, but dont ask me to take it over a GTO.

[Flybrian]

I would say the only two truly crappy Nissan products are the QX56 and Sentra - the former is a bloated, overpriced pig and the latter is just a poor compact. Quite a few have crappy aspects (Quest's dash, Titan's looks, FX35's exhuast note, Altima's debut interior), but so do cars from everyone.

[Guest carpetbagger]

It'd be nice if you'd could quantify this (and you're being all-sweeping about it at that).

Have you personally owned or even test-driven any Nissan or Infiniti vehicles to say something like that?

[post="48363"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Altima Interior, enough said.

Nissan + Renault = Garbage^2

[siegen]

nissan makes garbage vehicles
even the infiniti models

It's hard to comment on the quality of a vehicle you have never owned. Even a vehicle that you bought used, or rented, or drove for a while. Who knows what kind of abuse was put into it beforehand. If you have owned, say a Nissan Sentra, from day one, and take care of it, and it falls apart, then you can rightly say that Nissan Sentras (from that year range at least) are crap! Lol, I wouldn't comment on a car just based off of hearsay or a magazine review of the car. And since I doubt you've driven every year of every Nissan, new from the factory, there's no way you can come to the just conclusion that Nissan makes garbage vehicles.

[Guest carpetbagger]

It's hard to comment on the quality of a vehicle you have never owned. Even a vehicle that you bought used, or rented, or drove for a while. Who knows what kind of abuse was put into it beforehand. If you have owned, say a Nissan Sentra, from day one, and take care of it, and it falls apart, then you can rightly say that Nissan Sentras (from that year range at least) are crap! Lol, I wouldn't comment on a car just based off of hearsay or a magazine review of the car. And since I doubt you've driven every year of every Nissan, new from the factory, there's no way you can come to the just conclusion that Nissan makes garbage vehicles.

[post="48472"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

and you drive a freakin acura civic, so that explains you :AH-HA_wink:

[Variance]

Altima Interior, enough said.

Nissan + Renault = Garbage^2

[post="48471"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

So you're basing your opinion of an entire company on the interior of one Nissan car? That makes zero sense. :huh:

Oh, and you do realize Nissan and Renault are autonomous from each other for the most part, right?

[Variance]

and you drive a freakin acura civic, so that explains you :AH-HA_wink:

[post="48474"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Yes, because he drives an Acura his entire point is invalid. :rolleyes:

[Guest carpetbagger]

Go look under a nissan titan, their poorly built - especially in comparison to the robust chassis and suspension pieces under the F150

[Variance]

Go look under a nissan titan, their poorly built - especially in comparison to the robust chassis and suspension pieces under the F150

[post="48481"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Ah, the "bigger is always better" mentality. Less "robust" parts don't equal a poorly built vehicle. The Titan hasn't been out long enough to judge the durability of its chassis but having said that, Nissan isn't new to making trucks.

You still have yet to qualify how all Nissans and Infinitis are garbage and let's face facts: you won't. No modern car manufacturer that sells in America today has an entire line of vehicles that's junk. Are you ready to retract that assinine statement now?

[Guest carpetbagger]

Ah, the "bigger is always better" mentality. Less "robust" parts don't equal a poorly built vehicle. The Titan hasn't been out long enough to judge the durability of its chassis but having said that, Nissan isn't new to making trucks.

You still have yet to qualify how all Nissans and Infinitis are garbage and let's face facts: you won't. No modern car manufacturer that sells in America today has an entire line of vehicles that's junk. Are you ready to retract that assinine statement now?

[post="48489"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

No, nissan is still junk, dont worry; the previous generation Maxima ( and every one before it for that matter) are long gone, the bloated tupperware they make now is here to stay.

Why have their sales been so crappy?

They all have hollow sounding interiors. But my one retraction is the Q45, its quite nice ( and they did a hell of a job marketing and selling the pigs too ) .

get off of it, hyundai is better than nissan by leagues now

[Variance]

No, nissan is still junk, dont worry; the previous generation Maxima ( and every one before it for that matter) are long gone, the bloated tupperware they make now is here to stay.

That "bloated tupperware" ( :rolleyes: ) is what helped bring Nissan back and they've been selling quite well.

Why have their sales been so crappy?

Crappy sales, are you kidding me? :huh: Nissan and Infiniti have had year-over-year sales increases. They've had a 12.5% sales increase so far this year over the previous year.

They all have hollow sounding interiors. But my one retraction is the Q45, its quite nice ( and they did a hell of a job marketing and selling the pigs too )

get off of it, hyundai is better than nissan by leagues now

[post="48496"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

They all have hollow sounding interiors and Hyundai is leagues better than Nissan... :unsure:

Can somebody tell me if I'm just wasting my breath on this guy? <_<

[enzl]

That "bloated tupperware" ( :rolleyes: ) is what helped bring Nissan back and they've been selling quite well.
Crappy sales, are you kidding me? :huh: Nissan and Infiniti have had year-over-year sales increases. They've had a 12.5% sales increase so far this year over the previous year.
They all have hollow sounding interiors and Hyundai is leagues better than Nissan... :unsure:

Can somebody tell me if I'm just wasting my breath on this guy? <_<

[post="48512"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Yes, you're wasting your breath....but, I've heard the good times are about to stop at Nissan.

Lack of new product (notice how the well has dried up?) and payback for foisting a ton of iffy product on dealers to meet 'numbers'...


There's a link somewhere....

http://today.reuters.com/business/newsarti...9&imageid=&cap= Edited November 26, 2005 by enzl

[siegen]

and you drive a freakin acura civic, so that explains you :AH-HA_wink:

[post="48474"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Yes, an Acura INTEGRA! lol, similar chassis to the civic, completely different car. I used to own a Civic too, superb car, inside and out (it was a '93).

Aside from that. My car was a fleet vehicle for its first 65k miles. You'd think of all the previous owners it could have, being a fleet vehicle would bring it the most abuse and neglect (since the drivers of it don't own it, the company does). Aside from a stiff heat control lever, slightly squeeky hatch and some door dings, it is in perfect condition. Hell it's at 78k miles and that is literally all that's even slightly wrong with it.

Not trying to hyjack the thread, but you shouldn't comment on a car, or a whole car company for that matter, without experience with them. That could be considered slander if anybody took you seriously :lol:

[sciguy_0504]

I don't think the well has dried up. Rather, Nissan has redesigned almost all of its products, introduced a couple of new ones, slightly updated a couple of its older newer models (Altima, G35, if you can understand what I'm saying) and has a couple of new products in the pipeline (Senta, small car, Cube, Infiniti Q flagship sedan, Infiniti flagship sports car). I just think Nissan developed their products fast (maybe too fast) and doesn't currently have much to do.

[VenSeattle]

I just wish Nissan would add a "load leveling" rear suspension as standard equipment to the current Maxima. Every time I see one on the road with 3 or 4 passengers the ass of the vehicle is severely sagging. It makes an attractive vehicle look absolutely terrible.

[Flybrian]

Thank you, Ven. Glad I'm not the only one visually annoyed by that.

[Angry Dad]

No matter how it gets spun, the Titan is a flop. No it is not selling well. Yes it has a lousy reputation. The SUVs built off it are hideous and are getting the same cold reception. Nissan will follow the same road as Volkswagen.

[Newbiewar]

you guys are missing the point... but right now their trucks and armadas are Shift_Recall I work next door to a Nissan dealer and I can tell you those trucks and armadas go in for service about as often as my bosses coffee... and those umm.. meranos i've heard those are so problematic that they are worth it to trade the negitive equity in... and the sentra are a half a decade old, or older it ought to have all its problems worked out by now... the altimas were started in 02? probably wont see a new model change until 07 or 08... Nissans will have many troubles in the years to come... Nissans sales slump is not short lived... it will only get worse...

[CARBIZ]

Isn't it funny that when the Cobalt is ranked higher than its competitors in a well known consumer rag, but then we are told that due to spotty reliability, they can't recommend the Cobalt - that is okay. But the Titan, which is also a new vehicle, Import apologists will defend it, saying it hasn't been out long enough to be proven to be unreliable. Double standards! Nissan is to Japan what Chrysler is to America: marketing and glamorous products, but no substance. They build crap, but at least they build good looking crap.

[Guest carpetbagger]

But the Titan, which is also a new vehicle, Import apologists will defend it, saying it hasn't been out long enough to be proven to be unreliable.
  Double standards!

i totaly agree, and the TITan isnt even that new, its got really weak chassis and suspension parts for its purpose, especially comp'd to the silverado or F150

the Titan's only redemption is the hella-slick engine; NOTHNG else!

[regfootball]

i was not impressed with my titan test drives cheap interior cheap feel drivetrain slop the ford f-150 felt luxurious in comparison.

[regfootball]

but i did almost buy a quest because its a fabulous drive for a minivan...until i got spooked by the freak dash, stupid dvd location, lack of interior function with regards to user controls and cupholders and such, and lastly a recall that meant none of the vans could be dleivered to customers without a minimum month delay. way to do business! between that and all the well publicized quality issues it made me say no to nissan .....for now. i do think their products being rushed to market has made them junky. my buddie's 03 altima, he loved to drive it, but he got sick of a zillion problems with it. Edited November 28, 2005 by regfootball

[Guest carpetbagger]

where is that nissan boy now

[regfootball]

where is that nissan boy now

[post="50053"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

probably at the dealer getting some serivce work done

[Variance]

where is that nissan boy now

[post="50053"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

If you're talking about me, you don't have to be a Nissan guy to point a great deal of what you said didn't make any sense. Who said I was a Nissan guy anyway?

And I'll thank you not to call me "boy".

[Guest carpetbagger]

probably at the dealer getting some serivce work done

[post="50126"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

yeah, probably getting a new shifter boot or interior

[motownr]

check out the current edition of autoextremist.com The "inside" guys in the industry press on on to Ghosn and his short-lived 'miracle.' I think you'll eventually see the Detroit auto reporters chime in as well.... I've posted in the past about how the dealers--always the canaries in the proverbial coal mine--are in an all-out shooting war with Nissan. Delorenzo takes a different angle, but comes up with a similar conclusion. Nissan is going to make plenty of headlines in 06--not many of them favorable.