Red ink was freely flowing at U.S. Nissan dealerships in April. Wayne Gerdes – CleanMPG – May 1, 2018 2018 Nissan Rogue Hybrid 33/35 mpg city/highway is not bad for a small CUV. Nissan reported it sold 87,764 vehicles in April, down a harsh 28.1 percent below the 121,998 sold in April of 2017. On a Daily Selling Rate (DSR) basis with 2 less selling days, sales were still down a steep 22.1 percent. The Versa, Altima, Maxima, Murano, and Titan all had their @$$ handed to them and I can offer no reasonable explanation? YTD sales of 503,767 were down 6.5 percent below the 538,889 sold through the same period of 2017. While there was red ink up and down the model lineup, Rogue continued to lead the Japanese automaker with sales of 23,331 vehicles, down 14.8 percent below the 27,386 sold in April of 2017. YTD sales of 139,785 were up 8.5 percent over the 128,807 sold through the same period of 2017. The one highlight came from the all-new 2018 LEAF. Sales reached 1,171 vehicles, up 10.2 percent above the 1,063 sold in April of 2017. YTD sales of 3,716 were down 14.6 percent below the 4,350 sold through the same period of 2017. 2018 Nissan LEAF From the short lead in NAPA Valley last year, a better looking, more capable, and even better value BEV. Nissan Q4 and Full 2017 Fiscal Year Financial Results Nissan released its financial results for its fiscal Q4 with profits falling 32 percent from a year earlier as a stronger yen and R&D expenses were blamed for lower results. Profits of $1.53 billion USD was down $730 million USD from the $2.26 billion USD earned in the same quarter a year ago. Q4 revenue fell 0.9 percent to $31.3 billion USD. 2017 Fiscal Year results found Nissan generating an operating profit of $5.21 billion USD on revenues of $110 billion USD. The operating margin of 4.8 percent was far below the 6.3 achieved in FY 2016 and well off the previously stated 8 percent target. Net income rose 12.6 percent to $6.77 billion USD thanks in part to a much lower US tax rate. Nissan Global and Regional Sales Volumes Considering volume, Nissan-Renault achieved a record global volume of 5.77 million vehicles for the Fiscal Year ended March 31, 2018, up 2.6 percent. Sales in Japan (584,000), China (1.52 million), and the U.S. (1.592 million) were up 4.8, 12.2, and 0.7 percent respectively. European sales (652,000) excluding Russia fell 4.6 percent. Asia and Oceania, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa saw sales (819,000 ) rise 1.3 percent. Nissan 2018 FY Forecast The company expects to sell an additional 155,000 vehicles during FY 2018 thanks in part to the all-new Altima, Sylphy Zero Emission and Terra. April 2018 U.S Automotive Industry Results Despite GMs lack of monthly sales details, here is the U.S. April Automobile sales breakdown. While April's overall sales volume was down 2.1 percent, on a daily selling rate basis - 24 selling days in April of 2017 vs. 26 selling days in April of 2017, sales were up a healthy approximate 6.1 percent. B and C-segment Items of note: Not much to add. D and Utility Segment items of note: In the D-segment, there are huge losses other than the Camry which is far out in front and the Mazda6 which is making a late in life push. On the utility side, I added the Wrangler to the list and what a month to do so. Almost 30k vehicles sold! Pickup segment items of note: The Titan fell off from its recent 5 to 7k/month run. I have no explanation for the surge or the fall? Ridgeline continues to languish despite accolades. Electrified segment items of note: Prius regains its perch at the top of the hybrid sales results just 40 vehicles ahead of the RAV4 Hybrid. Fusion Hybrid is fading now that Ford is de-emphasizing its role in the future of the company. We will be watching this one closely. The big news within is the Ioniq finally kicked into gear as dealerships are finally offering $2k + discounts. On the electric side of the fence, Prime continues to dominate the segment. Any wonder with the super discounts available on the East Coast. The new LEAF experienced a nice uptick as well. Nissan is spending a lot on adverts here on the West Coast to help. U.S. Automobile April 2018 vs. April 2017 Market Share Comparison April 2018 Market Share items of note: Ford's share was down .5 percent. April 2018 U.S. Auto Sales and Rankings for the Top 18 Manufacturers GM April 2018 U.S. Sales*: 237,800 vehicles sold, down 2.7 percent below the 244,406 sold in April of 2017 Ford April 2018 U.S. Sales: 204,651 vehicles sold, down 4.7 percent below the 214,695 sold in April of 2017 Toyota April 2018 U.S. Sales: 192,348 vehicles sold, down 4.7 percent below the 201,926 sold in April of 2017 FCA April 2018 U.S. Sales: 184,149 vehicles sold, up 4.5 percent above the 176,176 sold in April of 2017 Honda April 2018 U.S. Sales: 125,701 vehicles sold, down 9.2 percent below the 138,386 sold in April of 2017 Nissan April 2018 U.S. Sales: 87,764 vehicles sold, down 28.1 percent below the 121,998 sold in April of 2017 Hyundai April 2018 U.S. Sales: 56,063 vehicles sold, down 11.1 percent below the 63,050 sold in April of 2017 Kia April 2018 U.S. Sales: 50,585 vehicles sold, down 5.2 percent below the 53,358 sold in April of 2017 Subaru April 2018 U.S. Sales: 53,170 vehicles sold, up 1.5 percent above the 52,368 sold in April of 2017 Mercedes-Benz April 2018 U.S. Sales: 30,115 vehicles sold, up 2.1 percent above the 29,490 sold in April of 2017 VW April 2018 U.S. Sales: 28,794 vehicles sold, up 4.5 percent above the 27,557 sold in April of 2017 BMW April 2018 U.S. Sales: 27,213 vehicles sold, up 4.2 percent above the 26,105 sold in April of 2017 Mazda April 2018 U.S. Sales: 23,056 vehicles sold, down 4.6 percent below the 24,164 sold in April of 2017 Audi April 2018 U.S. Sales: 19,104 vehicles sold, up 2.1 percent above the 18,711 sold in April of 2017 Jaguar/Land Rover April 2018 U.S. Sales: 8,467 vehicles sold, up 0.3 percent above the 8,441 sold in April of 2017 Volvo April 2018 U.S. Sales: 8,333 vehicles sold, up 17.0 percent above the 7,121 sold in April of 2017 Mitsubishi April 2018 U.S. Sales: 7,990 vehicles sold, down 4.6 percent below the 8,375 sold in April of 2017 Porsche April 2018 U.S. Sales: 5,570 vehicles sold, up 0.7 percent above the 5,529 sold in April of 2017 * April Estimate April 2018 Manufacturer sales of note: Honda moved ahead of Nissan due to a devastating month by the TN automaker. Subaru fell behind Kia despite positive results. MB moved ahead four spots, VW fell one, while BMW and Mazda both fell 2 spots. Jaguar/Land Rover and Volvo moved ahead of Mitsubishi. 2018 YTD estimated sales of 5.5 million was up .05 million or .9 percent over the 5.45 million sold through the same period of 2017.
