Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors sold 5,268,079 vehicles in the first half of the calendar year
We are proud and excited to announce that the Nissan-Renault alliance has been named the top automotive performer in the first half of 2017. This is the first time this honour has befallen Nissan-Renault, who beat out GM, Volkswagen and Toyota (all consistent top sellers) for this immense privilege.
The brand alliance of Nissan-Renault acquired Japanese automaker Mitsubishi in 2016, and together managed to sell a whopping 5 268 079 new vehicles around the globe between January and June of this year. Volkswagen sold a respectable 5 155 600 in the same period, and Nissan-Renault’s direct Japanese competitor Toyota a not-unimpressive 5 129 000. Fourth place went to US rival General Motors who sold 4.7 million units in the first half after leading global sales for more than 70 years.
An established trend that is becoming ever more prevalent around the globe is the inclusion of various nameplates under the fold of a single auto manufacturer, to ensure that overall sales numbers remain stable even if certain models falter in a given region. Volkswagen, which also includes Audi and Lamborghini, was the top-selling automotive manufacturer for the first time in 2016. The brand’s reputation recently had a big setback when it became known that emissions tests results were tampered with. However, their sales numbers were not affected as badly as expected, with sales in China and other markets evening things out.
Whether Nissan-Renault will manage to hold on to its top spot throughout the rest of 2017 remains to be seen. The top performers are currently close on each other’s heels, and aside from Volkswagen who often voice their desire to be number one in sales numbers, the auto executives actually tend to play down the importance of this particular accolade. Instead, they prefer to focus on customer satisfaction and new product development.
Nissan Corporate Vice President Joji Tagawa was quoted as saying that sales volume by itself means little if it does not lead to increased profits. Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of the Renault-Nissan brand alliance, added that the automaker will nevertheless continue to build on its record sales with continued improvement of their top models that include the X-Trail, Altima, Qashqai and the Leaf electric car.
Here’s to a prosperous second half of the year, and many more years of creating exceptional vehicles that speak of a passion for life and innovation that excites! To view our range of new Nissan vehicles, click here.
