Nissan trumped Toyota to become the top-selling Asian brand
in Europe in the first six months. Nissan's European sales were boosted by the
latest-generation Qashqai compact crossover and by gains in key markets such as
the UK, France and Germany.
Toyota, meanwhile, has been hit by a slump in Germany,
Europe's biggest market, where demand is weak for the brand's aging lineup. Nissan Europe sales and marketing boss, Guillaume Cartier,
said in a statement that the brand's rise to become the region's No. 1 Asian
brand is a "historic moment for everyone connected to the Nissan
business."
Cartier had told Automotive News Europe in an interview that
besides passing Toyota to become Europe’s top-selling Asian brand by 2016, his
aim is to remain profitable and to be Europe’s “most desirable Asian brand” in
terms of products, in-car features and service.
Nissan's registrations in the EU and EFTA countries
increased 21 percent to 303,507 through June, with market share rising to 4.1
percent from 3.7 percent a year earlier, according to data from industry
association ACEA. Sales of Toyota brand cars rose 4.2 percent to 293,968. Its
market share dropped a one-tenth of a percentage point to 4 percent.
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