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Nissan Altima outsells Camry, Accord in March, named best-selling sedan in America for first time

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Nissan, Earnings/Financials

2010 Nissan Altima sedan

Nissan Altima – Click above for high-res image gallery

Nissan says it achieved a 9.7 percent U.S. market share in March, the highest single month in company history. Complementing March’s heady number is an overall market share of 9.3 percent for Nissan in the first quarter of 2011. That represents a 0.3 percent gain in market share, building on 2010’s 0.4 percent gain.

March also saw the Nissan Altima take the title of best-selling sedan in America, another company first. The Altima contributed 32,289 units to Nissan’s 121,141-car total, which is nearly a 27 percent bump over last year’s March figures. It isn’t immediately clear what incentives Nissan had on the car during the month of March to aid sales, but presently, the Japanese automaker is offering zero-percent financing for up to 60 months or 1.9 percent APR financing for up to 72 months, or $1,250 cash back.

Had enough numbers? Too bad, Nissan isn’t quite done. Monthly sales were up 28.4 percent for the division, another record, and Infiniti saw a 13.5 percent sales hike in March. With numbers this big, Nissan is looking at a banner year.

Gallery: 2010 Nissan Altima Sedan

[Source: Nissan]

Nissan Altima outsells Camry, Accord in March, named best-selling sedan in America for first time originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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By the Numbers – March 2011: No Foolin’ Edition

Filed under: By the Numbers

Nissan Sets All-Time Record, Ford beats GM

It may be a day for fools, but sales numbers reported by the U.S. auto industry today are no joke.

Many sales records were set, including by Nissan, which set an all-time monthly sales record for the history of the company in March. Also, as we mentioned earlier, Ford Motor Company outsold General Motors, which is a rare occurrence that could become more common, and the brand Ford far outsold both Chevrolet and Toyota.

Thanks to some extra time spent formatting this month’s table, we’ll stop chatting a little early and let you look at the numbers yourself.

Brand/Company	Vol. %	March 2011	March 2010	DSR%*	March 2011	March 2010
Saab	524.06	830	133	500.95	31	5
Mini	68.61	6,087	3,610	62.37	225	139
Dodge	49.47	44,102	29,506	43.93	1,633	1,135
Kia	44.74	44,179	30,522	39.38	1,636	1,174
Mitsubishi	39.12	7,560	5,434	33.97	280	209
Jeep	35.92	33,155	24,393	30.89	1,228	938
Mazda	33.25	30,905	23,193	28.32	1,145	892
Hyundai	31.64	61,873	47,002	26.76	2,292	1,808
Nissan	28.45	109,854	85,526	23.69	4,069	3,289
Ford	28.18	204,276	159,367	23.43	7,566	6,130
Land Rover	26.23	3,441	2,726	21.55	127	105
Honda	25.38	121,039	96,540	20.73	4,483	3,713
Ram	24.10	23,510	18,944	19.51	871	729
Volkswagen	22.70	27,176	22,148	18.16	1,007	852
Volvo	21.62	6,369	5,237	17.11	236	201
Buick	20.91	15,663	12,954	16.43	580	498
Audi	14.31	9,818	8,589	10.08	364	330
Infiniti	13.53	11,287	9,942	9.32	418	382
Subaru	13.16	26,916	23,785	8.97	997	915
Mercedes-Benz	12.60	22,546	20,023	8.43	835	770
BMW	12.38	20,295	18,060	8.21	752	695
Chevrolet	11.29	148,197	133,165	7.17	5,489	5,122
Suzuki	11.18	2,497	2,246	7.06	92	86
GMC	10.67	30,597	27,648	6.57	1,133	1,063
Porsche	10.30	771	699	6.22	29	27
Acura	7.58	12,611	11,722	3.60	467	451
Cadillac	4.51	12,164	11,639	0.64	451	448
Chrysler	3.45	20,463	19,780	-0.38	758	761
Lexus	2.29	20,682	20,219	-1.50	766	778
Lincoln	-2.21	8,501	8,693	-5.83	315	334
Toyota	-6.66	155,540	166,644	-10.12	5,761	6,409
Jaguar	-11.09	874	983	-14.38	32	38
Fiat	NA	500	0	NA	19	0
COMPANIES
Chrysler Group	31.43	121,730	92,623	26.56	4,509	3,562
Nissan NA	26.89	121,141	95,468	22.19	4,487	3,672
American Honda	23.45	133,650	108,262	18.88	4,950	4,164
BMW Group	21.74	26,382	21,670	17.24	977	833
Ford Mo Co	19.17	212,777	178,546	14.76	7,881	6,867
Jaguar Land Rover	16.34	4,315	3,709	12.03	160	143
GM	11.44	206,621	185,406	7.31	7,653	7,131
Toyota Mo Co	-5.69	176,222	186,863	-9.19	6,527	7,187

*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 27 selling days in March 2011 versus 26 selling days in March 2010, so the change in monthly sales volume will be different than the change in average daily sales rate (DSR) for each brand/company. Also, brands are combined and reported as companies only if their sales figures are released jointly.

By the Numbers – March 2011: No Foolin’ Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Breaking: Ford beats GM in March sales

Filed under: Car Buying, Ford, GM

Ford Fiesta

2011 Ford Fiesta SES – Click above for high-res image gallery

General Motors posted its seventh consecutive sales gain for the month of March, with 206,621 total sales. A good month, no doubt, but Ford had a better month for just the second time since 1998. Ford last bested GM in February, 2010. The Blue Oval posted sales of 212,295, thanks in part to a 21-percent jump in truck sales.

That’s a victory of 5,674 units for the Dearborn, MI-based automaker, but the real drubbing came in the ongoing battle of Ford Vs. Chevrolet. The Bowtie brand moved 148,197 units, compared to 203,794 for Team Ford. That’s a 28-percent sales jump for the Blue Oval, which admittedly amped up fleet sales for the month, but retail sales were also up 14 percent.

Ford had plenty of hot products moving off dealer lots, with 53,272 F-Series trucks sold, a record 9,787 Fiestas and record March sales for the Escape and Fusion. One factor holding back GM sales was a $700 per vehicle cutback in incentive spending, though that will probably help the automaker’s bottom line more than a few extra Malibu sedans rolling off the line.

While Ford was victorious in March, GM is still up for the year by 97,000 units. Stay tuned to Autoblog for our monthly By the Numbers update, which will lay out sales totals for all of the major automakers selling in the U.S.

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

Breaking: Ford beats GM in March sales originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 13:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AdSpotting: Buick using March Madness to sell Regal Turbo

Buick Regal CXL Turbo commercial – Click above to watch video

Company: General Motors

Brand: Buick

Medium: TV

Ad Agency: Leo Burnett

Product: Regal Turbo

Campaign: Regal Turbo/NCAA

What We Like: The cinematography of the Regal in this spot makes the car look even better than it does when it sits in your driveway. And if your TV or computer speakers are any good at all, the sound of the engine and the turbo comes through. This is a simple ad, and the simplest messages are generally the most effective. “Turbo. Buick. Turbo. Buick. Get used to the sound.” We like that they are not loading us up with the car’s stats, as well. You can always get that stuff online anyway. The ad pretty effectively says, “This car looks good, sounds good and, dude, has a turbo! Yeah, we know it’s a brand that’s normally associated with Fred Mertz, ‘Mr. C’ from Happy Days or pretty much any Junior High School principal. But, seriously, it’s worth checking out.” We agree.

What We Don’t Like: The driver looks a little too much like Rocco DiSpirito, or a Men’s Health metro-sexual, and that’s just annoying. But we are pretty sure that was what the ad agency was going for. We say we like the ad’s simplicity, but is it too simple? Is this going to keep the average bloke from leaving the couch to refill his beer or nutbowl during a commercial break in March Madness? Maybe there could have been more of a hook in the copy… or a female? Or maybe we are just looking for things to poke at because we have to.

Strategy: Oldsmobile is gone. Pontiac is gone. Saturn is gone. Hummer is gone. Saab is sold. Thank the Chinese for saving Buick. They see Buick as some sort of Cadillac-Mercedes hybrid. Go figure. General Motors sells more of the tri-shield vehicles in the land of the Great Wall than in the land of the Grand Canyon. GM is pitching Buick as “luxury,” and says there is room for both Buick and Cadillac in the company’s luxury play, that they appeal to different luxury buyers. We think Buick appeals to luxury buyers who have lost a lot of money in the market, and had to sell their stuff, including the Mercedes, to keep junior in Country Day School. But there is no denying that the LaCrosse, Regal and Enclave are vehicles we would not be ashamed to drive to the dance, the kid’s soccer game, or poker night. But luxury? Wethinks Buick doth need to find another way to communicate what it stands for. Oh, by the way, thanks for the turbo.

Grade: B

Watch the commercial after the jump and give it your own grade below.

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AdSpotting: Buick using March Madness to sell Regal Turbo originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jaguar’s Mike O’Driscoll to retire in March

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Jaguar, Luxury

Mike O'Driscoll

Jaguar has announced that Managing Director Mike O’Driscoll will retire from the company early next year, at least from his day-to-day duties. The charismatic executive has been on-board at the Leaping Cat since the company was still part of the Ford portfolio. He helped usher Jaguar out from under the glare of the Blue Oval and into the hands of India’s Tata Motors. From there, O’Driscoll was among the key hands in the introduction of the new XF, XK and the super-sexy XJ.

No one’s saying exactly how O’Driscoll will spend his days after he officially retires in March of next year, though Jaguar says that he will stay on as the chairman of Jaguar Heritage. There, he’ll help manage the company’s expansive collection of vintage machines.

We can’t blame him for holding onto that gig.

At the moment, Jaguar is remaining tight-lipped about who will take O’Driscoll’s place once he steps down, but then again, they’ve got a few months or so to sort it all out. Hit the jump for the brief press release.

[Source: Jaguar]

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Jaguar’s Mike O’Driscoll to retire in March originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scion iQ to hit dealerships in March 2011

Filed under: Coupe, Scion, Toyota

2011 Scion iQ – Click above for high-res image gallery

We’ve all heard the rhetoric about how small cars are primed to be big sellers over the next few years, and nobody seems to be responding to that direction sooner than Toyota. The Japanese automaker is getting ready to challenge the diminutive Smart Fortwo here in the United States with the Scion iQ, and we’ve just been told by Toyota representatives to expect it to hit dealer showrooms around March of next year.

Unlike its main competitor, the iQ sports a unique 3+1 seating arrangement that will allow three real-sized human beings to fit in the car with an extra spot for a munchkin or car seat. Scion also promises that its micro car will boast real storage capacity, which is an important factor if people have any inkling to use their urban runabout as a second car.

Expect a price somewhere in the vicinity of the Fortwo when the iQ hits the streets early next year.

Gallery: New York 2010: Scion iQ

Scion iQ to hit dealerships in March 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Redesigned Nissan March goes on sale in Japan

Filed under: Japan, Hatchback, Nissan

Nissan March

2011 Nissan March – Click above for high-res image gallery

The all-new Nissan March, which debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in, you guessed it, March) went on sale in Japan this week. The March (or Micra, as it’s known in Europe) is powered by a new family of inline three-cylinder engines. The base normally-aspirated 1.2-liter is rated at 79 horsepower, and Nissan has also announced a supercharged and direct injected version that should produce over 100 horsepower.

The normally-aspirated engine is available with either a five-speed manual gearbox or a continuously variable transmission along with an automatic start-stop function to switch off the engine when the car comes to a halt. The CVT variant with idle-stop is rated at 61 miles per gallon (U.S.) on the Japanese urban test cycle, which should be equivalent to somewhere in the low to mid 40 mpg range on the EPA cycle.

Nissan has yet to confirm whether it will offer the redesigned Micra/March in the U.S. market.

Gallery: 2011 Nissan Micra / March

[Source: Nissan]

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Redesigned Nissan March goes on sale in Japan originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 17 Jul 2010 11:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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