Nissan Motor Co Ltd announces production, sales and exports for December 2015 and the full year.

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced its production, sales and export figures for December 2015 and calendar year 2015.

1. Production

December

Nissan's global production in December increased 6.8 percent year-on-year to 437,113 units, the eighth consecutive month of increase and a record for the month of December.

Production in Japan decreased 1.9 percent year-on-year to 73,829 units, the first decrease in two months.

Production outside of Japan increased 8.7 percent year-on-year to 363,284 units, the eighth consecutive month of increase and a record for the month of December.

In the U.S., production increased 13.0 percent year-on-year to 76,469 units, a record for the month of December.

In Mexico, production decreased 1.8 percent year-on-year to 52,502 units.

In the U.K., production decreased 18.3 percent year-on-year to 27,916 units.

In Spain, production decreased 12.6 percent year-on-year to 7,413 units.

In China, production increased 28.3 percent year-on-year to 139,596 units, a record for a single month.

Production in other regions decreased 3.6 percent year-on-year to 59,388 units.

Calendar Year 2015

Nissan's global production in 2015 increased 1.4 percent year-on-year to 5,170,056 units, the sixth consecutive year of increase and a calendar-year record.

Production in Japan decreased 0.9 percent year-on-year to 872,831 units, the third consecutive year of decrease.

Production outside Japan increased 1.9 percent year-on-year to 4,297,225 units, the sixth consecutive year of increase and a calendar-year record.

In the U.S., production increased 1.6 percent year-on-year to 962,258 units, a calendar-year record.

In Mexico, production increased 2.1 percent year-on-year to 822,905 units, a calendar–year record.

In the U.K., production decreased 4.7 percent year-on-year to 476,589 units.

In Spain, production decreased 25.8 percent year-on-year to 104,684 units.

In China, production increased 2.6 percent year-on-year to 1,206,168 units.

Production in other regions increased 12.1 percent year-on-year to 724,621 units.

2. Sales

December

Global sales increased 11.0 percent year-on-year to 526,640 units, the first increase in two months and a record for the month of December.

Japan:

• Sales including mini-vehicles decreased 3.8 percent year-on-year to 37,243 units, the 19th consecutive month of decrease.
• Vehicle registrations decreased 0.5 percent year-on-year to 24,254 units.
• Mini-vehicle sales decreased 9.4 percent year-on-year to 12,989 units.

Sales outside Japan increased 12.3 percent year-on-year to 489,397 units, the eighth consecutive month of increase and a record for a single month.

In the U.S., sales increased 18.7 percent year-on-year to 139,300 units, a record for the month of December.

In Mexico, sales increased 10.4 percent year-on-year to 38,785 units, a record for a single month.

In Europe, sales decreased 13.1 percent year-on-year to 62,976 units.

In China, sales increased 15.0 percent year-on-year to 159,148 units, a record for a single month.

Sales in other regions decreased 1.5 percent year-on-year to 79,545 units.

Calendar Year 2015

Global sales increased 2.1 percent year-on-year to 5,421,804 units, the sixth consecutive year of increase and a calendar-year record.

Japan:

• Sales including mini-vehicles decreased 12.1 percent year-on-year to 589,046 units, the second consecutive year of decrease.
• Vehicle registrations decreased 11.8 percent year-on-year to 378,218 units.
• Mini-vehicle sales decreased 12.7 percent year-on-year to 210,828 units.

Sales outside Japan increased 4.2 percent year-on-year to 4,832,758 units, the sixth consecutive year of increase and a calendar-year record.

In the U.S., sales increased 7.1 percent year-on-year to 1,484,918 units, a calendar-year record.

In Mexico, sales increased 19.0 percent year-on-year to 348,941 units, a calendar-year record.

In Europe, sales increased 3.0 percent year-on-year to 761,053 units, a calendar-year record.

In China, sales increased 6.3 percent year-on-year to 1,250,073 units.

Sales in other regions decreased 3.0 percent year-on-year to 856,183 units.

3. Exports from Japan

December

Exports in December decreased 14.3 percent year-on-year to 46,787 units, the first decrease in three months.

Calendar Year 2015

Exports increased 9.7 percent year-on-year to 518,631 units, the first increase in four years.

TMW - It's that time of the month and YEAR again - December and full year results 2015.

JAGUAR

DECEMBER 2014 1356 sales - DECEMBER 2015 1919 sales +41.52%

YTD 2014 18401 sales - YTD 2015 23954 sales +30.18%

LAND ROVER

DECEMBER 2014 3652 sales - DECEMBER 2015 4966 sales +35.98%

YTD 2014 56200 sales - YTD 2015 66574 sales +18.46%

JAGUAR LAND ROVER CUMULATIVE

DECEMBER 2014 5008 sales - DECEMBER 2015 6885 sales +37.48%

YTD 2014 74601 sales - YTD 2015 90528 sales +21.35%

JAGUAR LAND ROVERS COMPETITORS

BMW

DECEMBER 2014 12445 sales - DECEMBER 2015 17181 sales +38.06%
YTD 2014 148878 sales - YTD 2015 167391 sales +12.44%

MERCEDES

DECEMBER 2014 7774 sales - DECEMBER 2015 8892 sales +14.38%

YTD 2014 124419 sales - YTD 2015 145254 sales +16.75%

LEXUS

DECEMBER 2014 709 sales - DECEMBER 2015 894 sales +26.09%

YTD 2014 11572 sales - YTD 2015 13269 sales +14.66%

AUDI

DECEMBER 2014 8013 sales - DECEMBER 2015 9144 sales +14.11% 

YTD 2014 158987 sales - YTD 2015 166709 sales +4.86%

RISERS ON PREVIOUS YEAR (YTD CUMULATIVE)

ABARTH +67.05%

ASTON MARTIN +9.84%

DS AUTOMOBILES +0.00% *

DACIA +9.92%

FORD +2.64%
HYUNDAI +7.48%
INFINITI +60.19%

JEEP +176.13%

KIA +1.24%

LOTUS +59.57%

MASERATI +20.10%

MAZDA +20.43%

MG +35.51%
MINI +18.49%

MITSUBISHI +43.58%

NISSAN +11.28%

PEUGEOT +0.66%

PORSCHE +32.83%

RENAULT +14.00%

SMART +94.73%

SSANGYONG +116.86%

SUBARU +23.70%
TOYOTA +5.00%

VAUXHALL +0.22%

VOLKSWAGEN +4.17%

VOLVO +5.76%

LOSERS THIS YEAR (YTD CUMULATIVE)

ALFA ROMEO -8.22%

BENTLEY -6.32%
CHEVROLET -99.57%

CHRYSLER -93.09%

CITROEN -4.06% *
FIAT -4.33%
HONDA -0.24%

SEAT -10.95%
SKODA -1.05%

SUZUKI -7.91%

• * Citroen and DS Automobiles split sales in May 2015 - Combine both to get an accurate figure when comparing to 2015 sales figures.
• Figures all supplied by SMMT.

The year ended on a high with 2015 finishing with the highest ever sales within the United Kingdom, having said that there were a number of brands that did not finish the year higher than the preceding one, out of the 10 brands, two are no longer for sale (Chrysler & Chevrolet), One (Citroen) has split it's sales away from DS, so, add them together for the next few months to get a true reflection, SEAT & Skoda have the fall out of the VW scandal.

That leaves FIAT, Honda, Suzuki, Bentley and Alfa Romeo, which considering that 2015 was a record year, is a shame that these brands failed to achieve higher than last year numbers, Suzuki should, as they have new models, like Honda, Fiat keeps launching 500 derivatives, but that still has not helped, the very old Punto needs changing now, not next year, they have really lost the plot where that model is concerned. 

We then have Bentley and Alfa, both niche brands, Bentley, is a surprise, as the luxury market has sky-rocketed this year, and where there is luxury, the money has flowed fast this last 12 months, then we have Alfa, well, this brand has been left to fend for it's self for so long, with tweaks to its main two models to keep them ticking over, but FCA, which owns Alfa Romeo (amongst many many other brands) is about to change this.

The first of a raft of all new models  will be the all new Giulia saloon, a rear drive car that will give back the Alfa brand a car that's been missing for so long, this will be followed by SUV's, hatchbacks and sports cars, the 8C has sold out, and the 4C is doing decent business, and is a beautiful car.

The usual suspects are in the top ten best sellers for December and Year To Date (YTD), The Fiesta takes top honours again, and it is a nice surprise to get a few different models in the two charts, Mokka from Vauxhall is a nice addition, and just pops into the top ten YTD list, MINI has its best month in at #3, a brace of BMW's in December, but none for the YTD, Vauxhall continues to do well, with three models in the top ten at #2, #7 & #10, so a great finish to the year for them.

MG continues to grow, at 3,152 it is 35% higher than 2014, and is now knocking on the door of Subaru, Ssangyong, and with the Continuation of BTCC for three more years and the all new MG CS crossover, sales may well exceed 5,000 units next year, which would be at the level Alfa are in 2015, I just hope that they do not screw up the launch, and definitely do NOT use the horrid flashing bright colours that they are currently using for the MG6 and MG3.

Jeep is amazing, they just keep building them and we keep buying them, and with all new models due over the next 28-24 months, the sales can only grow further, Jaguar Land Rover, our brand of choice here at the TMW, has growth significantly over the last twelve months, with records being broken, the figures above, are a bit misleading, as they do not include any brands commercial vehicle sales, so JLR have tipped the 100,000 mark for the first time, so well done to them.

Ford is the winner, as per usual, they have been number one no since before i was born, and that was well over 40 years ago, and no matter what they produce, they just sell, with the Focus and Fiesta up there again this year, the Corsa breaks up, what would have been, a nice 1-2 partnership.

So, we look to 2016, and from initial considerations, i fear that we will have a down turn this year, the worlds bank, China, is having a bad time of it recently, and with it, the rest of the world will be hit, eventually that means us, whether that's interest rates rising, or sales of cars and other consumables dropping, it will happen, and it is looking like it may well be this year that, that happens. So, the car brands must "make hay while the sun shines", as they say.

TMW - It's that time of the months again - UK APRIL 2015 sales figures

TMW - Its that time of the month - UK FEBRUARY 2015 sales figures

JAGUAR

APRIL 2014 1209 sales - APRIL 2015 1151 sales -4.80%

YTD 2014 6683 sales - YTD 2015 6103 sales -8.68%

LAND ROVER

APRIL 2014 4381 sales - APRIL 2015 5549 sales +26.66%

YTD 2014 21479 sales - YTD 2015 26154 sales +21.77%

JAGUAR LAND ROVER CUMULATIVE

APRIL 2014 5590 sales - APRIL 2015 6700 sales +19.85%

YTD 2014 28162 sales - YTD 2015 32257 sales +14.54%

JAGUAR LAND ROVERS COMPETITORS

BMW

APRIL 2014 10484 sales - APRIL 2015 10891 sales +3.88%
YTD 2014 48421 sales - YTD 2015 50915 sales +5.15%

MERCEDES

APRIL 2014 8736 sales - APRIL 2015 10082 sales +4.94%

YTD 2014 42535 sales - YTD 2015 50393 sales +18.47%

LEXUS

APRIL 2014 691 sales - APRIL 2015 1044 sales +51.09%

YTD 2014 3731 sales - YTD 2015 4730 sales +26.78%

AUDI

APRIL 2014 12958 sales - APRIL 2015 13264 sales +2.36% 

YTD 2014 56724 sales - YTD 2015 58183 sales +2.57%

RISERS ON PREVIOUS YEAR (YOY CUMULATIVE)

ABARTH +28.65%

ASTON MARTIN +6.35%

CITROEN +5.00%

DACIA +11.92%

HYUNDAI +7.76%
INFINITI +194.93%

JEEP +262.02%

KIA +3.02%

LOTUS +141.07%

MASERATI +64.98%

MAZDA +18.28%

MG +52.15%
MINI +48.12%

MITSUBISHI +158.49%

NISSAN +18.70%

PEUGEOT +1.85%

PORSCHE +32.68%

RENAULT +17.16%

SEAT +0.13% 

SMART +21.36%

SSANGYONG +53.41%

SUBARU +46.81%
TOYOTA +6.58%

VAUXHALL +0.41%

VOLKSWAGEN +8.53%

VOLVO +6.63%

LOSERS THIS YEAR (YOY CUMULATIVE)

ALFA ROMEO -11.06%

BENTLEY -12.07%
CHEVROLET -99.92%

CHRYSLER -85.75%

FIAT -7.64%
FORD -0.74%
HONDA -7.85%

MIA -100.00%
PERODUA -100.00%

PROTON -100.00%

SKODA -3.57%

SUZUKI -12.43%

After a couple of months away from the "ITTOTM", it was good to get back to it, and see what is and is not selling, and it is no surprise to see the brands selling negatively on last year has dropped, from the last time these figures were produced - what is surprising is that of those that have dropped on a year ago, Ford, Fiat, Skoda, Honda and Suzuki ALL are down, especially when you consider they are all mainstream brands with new cars in the range.

Skoda has just launched the new Octavia and Fabia, Suzuki the Celerio and updated Swift, Ford has a raft of new models launched this year and more to come, Honda has the updated Civic, new Jazz and CR-V and HR-V coming, and FIAT, well, they have had a couple of additions to the 500 family, so why these are down is anyones guess.

Jaguar continues to struggle, however, this month sees the dealer demo's of the new XE so that should boost numbers a little, but with the recently launch of XF2, people will be putting off buying one of these until the new one comes along, so expect sales to be flat for a couple of months.

Land Rover, well, they can do no wrong, shove a LR badge on a turd with four wheels and it will sell, BMW have been doing that for years and it's worked for them, (Sorry had to put that), the premium brands are all outperforming the market, and that's great, but what does it say about the state of the economy, the election has stabilised the market, the interest rates have been frozen again, there is more money in peoples pockets, and the fact that they are buying cars proves this.

Looking back on past "It's That" posts, I have been very vocal about the coming of the Chinese, and the part that they took in the downfall of our then last great British car building dynasty, which was MG-Rover, but after a couple of hiccups, and false starts, the last year has really started to bear fruit for SAIC, the parent company that owns, Longbridge and the MG Marque, sales are increasing, they have invested heavily into a new flagship London dealership, in the most affluent area of London, the MG6 has been facelifted and had a rather large price cut, and along with the great MG3, and the new MG CS coming by Q4 2016 (which is was too late) sales will continue to flow, and who knows, proper production may well come back to the UK, for European sales, whenever that maybe, and with more products, better powerplants and gearboxes, things can only get better.

Ssangyong are really pushing the boat out this year, not only have the refreshed the range, adding decent looks to proven mechanicals, they are launching the new Tivoli small SUV, and at a great start price too, i think that Ssangyong will for the first time finish the year with at LEAST a one percentage point of the total sales, and considering what they were like just a couple of years ago, this will be a huge boost to the brand, and a well deserved one too.

Vauxhall seems to be up and down this year, April sales were down, a bit, but they managed to claw onto a a positive year to date figure, even if that were only 0.4% growth, and considering that they have launched the new Corsa, ADAM S, and the Mokka is doing great work, Astra has saved the day, holding onto a top ten place, with the Corsa at its usual number three position, so whats up with the Griffin, well, they are in a year of change, we have the new VIVA, Corsa and Astra this year, and the Insignia wont be far behind, the Mokka is doing well all over Europe, so thats helping too, so why are sales not growing, they have cut prices, and indeed this weekend coming the "BIG EVENT" is back at all vauxhall dealers, giving away free fuel with all applicable purchases (terms and conditions apply apparently).

MINI and SMART are both in the same position, they have just launched make or break models, the MINI Hatch has and continues to do great business (shame) and the Smart ForTwo and All-New ForFour, are both getting some good numbers around the world, but SMART still has yet to make a profit for Mercedes, and it has to be said, how much longer will the German brand allow that to go on !

They say "there has to be an exception to the rule", well, the UK is the exception for Volkswagen, the Great German powerhouse is struggling, sales around the globe are slipping, month after month, Quarter after quarter, and yet we have stayed loyal to the brand, why, i cant explain that, the cars are not that well priced, the reliability of VW's, and well, German products together, are not that great, just look at the latest Driver Power report from our friends at Auto Express and see what you and I, the people that buy these cars actually think, you will be surprised to see the Germans well below the Chinese, the MG3 and MG6 did rather well.

Britain has a wealth of talent and some stunning brands that are the toast of the world, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, Lotus and more, so it is brilliant to see these brands ALL, getting decent money spending on them to expand and develop new models.

Bentley 

• New Continental GT
• New Large SUV
• New Small SUV
• New Mulsanne convertible
• New Small Sports car

Rolls Royce

• New Phantom
• New Dawn (Wraith Convertible)
• New Large SUV
• New Small Saloon (rumoured)

Aston Martin

• New DB11 (DB10 being missed/Used for Bond)
• New Lagonda (alread released but NOW available in the UK)
• New DBX - Crossover based on Aston platform
• Complete refresh of entire range with new looks and electrics and engines from AMG

Lotus Cars

• New Evora 400 - The fastest Lotus ever
• Funds in place to improve quality of Elise, Exige and Evora
• Memorandum of intent signed between Lotus, Proton and a third party to build a plant in China to build an SUV. existing range to remain in UK

So you can see that even though the companies may all be foreign owned, and operated, they are all still here in the UK, producing great products, and with so many new, improved or expanded models coming, the future for the British car industry is going to be huge.

But it is not just sports cars, Honda, Toyota and Nissan all produce cars here, and very profitably, and in some cases, they are far more efficient than any other of the plants within their brands, Nissan continues to produce SUV's amongst other cars and with a new wing added for an Infiniti model to be produced, there is no plans for them, or any of the Japanese brands to leave.

So, we are a third of the way through the year, and what a year it has been so far, and for us too, we have had the opportunity to test drive a number of cars so far this year, an Evoque, A6 avant, Mercedes-Benz C-Class estate, C4 Cactus, and with some more on the horizon, and some interviews with brand owners, and key people, this year is looking like a great one for The Motoring World - So, thanks for your continued reading and here is to next month.