Nissan do Brasil is Top Growing Brand in 2012

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Nissan do Brasil reached a new milestone in 2012. In addition to being the top growing automaker for the third consecutive year, Nissan do Brasil has for the first time exceeded 100,000 units sold in the domestic market. These are considerable results for Nissan, taking into account the issues faced by the brand due to vehicle shortages at dealerships. The 104,778 units sold last year accounted for growth of 56% compared to 2011 and a market share of 2.9%, a 0.9 percent increase over last year. In December, Nissan do Brasil sold 9,208 cars, or 42% more than in November, confirming that the brand's sales are regaining momentum.

In 2012, the compact models March and Versa, which launched at the end of 2011, had 33,151 and 19,670 units sold respectively. With 17,563 units sold, the Frontier truck had an increase of 28% in a segment that has seen the introduction of a number of competitors.

"Even with import quota limitations pertaining to Mexican cars and consequent vehicle shortage at dealerships in some months, Nissan do Brasil managed to break its sales record in 2012, exceeding three digits for the first time," said François Dossa, the new President of Nissan do Brasil. "This demonstrates Nissan's potential in the domestic market and confirms that we are in the right path by investing locally, with the new industrial site in Rio and the sponsorship of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games™. And this year will be even better: We will be preparing ourselves for 2014 when we will start producing more than 200 thousand cars a year in Resende."

2012 Highlights

March – Customer satisfaction champion according to "The Elected" report by Quatro Rodas magazine, the compact model accounted for 33,151 units registered in 2012.

Versa – With 19,670 units sold, the compact sedan was also elected customer satisfaction champion by "The Elected," a consumer report published by Quatro Rodas magazine.

Frontier – In a segment that has seen a number of competitors, 17,563 units of the pick-up truck were sold, an increase of 28% compared to 2011.

December Highlights

March – With 2,853 registrations, the compact model had an increase of 39% compared to November, thus confirming that its sales are regaining momentum.

Versa - The 2,512 units sold accounted for an increase of 57% in sales compared to November. 

Frontier – An increase of 78% compared to November and 13% compared to the same period last year, totaling 1,871 units.

Dealerships – With the inaugurations of Katana in Goiânia (State of Goiás), and VIP Forianópolis in Florianópolis (State of Santa Catarina), Nissan do Brasil has now 157 stores countrywide.

Additional information: http://nissannews.com/pt/nissan/brasil/

# # #

About Nissan Brazil – With a significant growth in the last few years, Nissan has the purpose of reaching 5% market share by 2016. Therefore, it shall introduce eight new models in the horizon of 2016. Launched in 2011, the Nissan March and Nissan Versa represented, respectively, the company's entry in the compact and compact sedan segments, which account for the largest volumes in the Brazilian market. Today, Nissan Brazil has 157 stores spread out across the country and plans to expand it to 239 by 2016. With its industrial premises established for ten years now in Sao José dos Pinhais, State of Paraná, Nissan announced an investment of R$ 2.6 billion for the construction of a new plant in Resende, Rio de Janeiro, with start of operations expected for 2014, for an annual production capacity of 200 thousand cars. 

In order to strengthen its commitment to the country, Nissan Brazil has become the Official Automotive Sponsor of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games™, as well as of the Brazilian Olympic Committee. The agreement includes the supply of approximately 4,500 vehicles of different body types to meet the needs of the Rio 2016™ Games and of the Brazilian Team. This vehicle fleet will favor clean energy models (ethanol or electricity), in order to back the efforts of the Rio 2016™ Organizing Committee to meet the Games' environmental goals.

About Nissan Americas - In Americas, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized as a 2010, 2011 and 2012 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. More information on Nissan in North America, the Nissan LEAF and the zero emission vehicles can be found online at NissanUSA.com.

About Nissan - Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second largest Japanese automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan and is an integral pillar of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 248 thousand employees globally, Nissan provided customers with more than 4.8 million vehicles in 2011 and a turnover of 9.4 trillion yens (US$ 118.95 billion). With a strong commitment to developing exciting and innovative products for all, Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of vehicles under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. A pioneer in zero emission mobility, Nissan made history with the introduction of the Nissan LEAF, the first affordable, mass-market, pure-electric vehicle and winner of numerous international accolades including the prestigious 2011/2012 Car of the Year award in Japan and the World Car of the Year award. For more information on Nissan's products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/. 

PRESS RELATIONS - PRODUCT

Nissan Brazil

Alexandre Carvalho
Press Relations Supervisor
alexandre.carvalho@nissan.com.br
(11) 2184-8382

XComunicação

Edimar Silva
(Fleet Assistant)
edimar.silva@xcomunicacao.com.br
(11) 2898-7484

Alexandre Tsuneta
(Corporate Account Manager)
alexandre.tsuneta@xcomunicacao.com.br
(11) 2898-7480