Nissan Reports Sales For December And Calendar Year 2008

ROLLE, Switzerland - January 7, 2009: Nissan Europe reported sales of 36,646 units in Europe in December, a 25.6% decrease compared with the same month in 2007. However, market share for December 2008 improved to 2.7% versus 2.5% in the previous year.

Sales of Nissan’s compact crossover Qashqai remained strong despite steep declines in total industry volume across Europe with 10,519 units sold in December. Market share in Russia, Germany, Spain and Italy improved in December compared with the same month in 2007.

For the calendar year 2008, Nissan Europe Sales reached a new record of 601,647 units, representing an increase of 5.5% versus 2007 (the previous highest sales year) despite the deterioration of the economic climate. This was largely due to the popularity of the Qashqai which sold 183,294 units in 2008.

“Despite continued downward pressure on demand in December we improved our Market share versus December 2007 to finish the year on a high note,” said Francois Goupil de Bouille, Vice President – Sales for Nissan in Europe.

In 2008, Russia remained Nissan Europe’s strongest market, recording sales of 154,340 units, an increase of 26.5% compared with the previous year.