Nissan North America had a chilly November, with US sales tumbling across the board, even in the usually resilient pickup and utility segments.
American sales in the group tumbled nearly 19 percent in November to 110,513 cars and light trucks. The Nissan division sold 96,427 vehicles last month, 22 percent less than in November 2017. In the meantime Infiniti's turnover increased by 8.1 percent to 14,086 units.
Combined sales of car models from Nissan and Infiniti dropped last month by 33 percent and are now 17 percent lower than in the previous year.
In a market with a strong preference for utilities and pick-ups, the Nissan brand also had a hit in those segments: the sales of light trucks dropped 14 percent last month compared to the same period a year ago. However, the sale of Infiniti light trucks rose by 37 percent in November, fueled by the QX50, QX60 and QX80.
The decline in monthly sales is due in part to Nissan's ongoing strategy to reduce total vehicle fleet sales while boosting retail and commercial vehicle fleets, said Billy Hayes, vice president for regional Nissan operations in North America. .
"Our focus is on placing cars in the driveways of people and placing cars in the … parking lots of commercial companies that use our vehicles to generate revenue," Hayes said Monday.
Part of the decline in sales can also be attributed to model year transitions.
"We really need to anticipate what we're doing, about 70 percent of our volume over the next two years," Hayes said. "We will have a very young product line."
Consider the renewed 2019 Altima that went on sale in October. "We currently have probably less than one dealer," Hayes said about the previous generation Altima.
For Nissan, the path will not be easier in 2019 with stiff competition and new entries abound in the nonluxury space, said Akshay Anand, executive analyst at Kelley Blue Book.
"Nissan does have some new product, as always with such a large line-up," said Anand. "But outside of Rogue, they have problems winning segments, which at some point may require serious reconsideration."
brands: Nissan drops 22%, Infiniti 8.1% higher
Remarkable name tags: Nissan Titan sales decrease by 50%, Maxima decreases by 59%, Altima drops by 37%, Rogue drops by 12%, Infiniti QX50 rises by 86%, Infiniti Q50 falls by 34%.
Incentives: $ 4,329 per vehicle, down 1% from a year earlier, says ALG.
Average transaction price: $ 27,870, an increase of 0.3% compared to a year earlier, according to ALG
Inventory: On November 1, Nissan had 289,800 vehicles in stock in the United States, compared to 346,100 vehicles last year, according to the Automotive News Data Center.
Quote: Dealers "have really been boosted at the new Altima, especially at four-wheel drive markets," Hayes said about the Altime sedan 2019.
Did you know? Every Nissan sedan saw a decline in sales in November, except the electric Leaf.