Nissan Australia has acknowledged it faces a challenging period for passenger car sales, which have dwindled in the face of increasingly popular SUVs and utes.
The brand rates among the top three SUV brands in Australia, thanks to a comprehensive lineup that stretches all the way from the baby Juke to the massive Patrol, and its Navara pick-up continues to prove popular.
But Nissan's passenger cars are down more than 80 per cent for the year to date, and 2016 wasn't exactly a banner year, when sales dropped by nearly 27 per cent - more than any key rival.
The situation is unlikely to improve any time soon, as Nissan Australia boss Richard Emery says there is little in the passenger car pipeline before 2019.
"I see that only as a short term thing," he says.
"We certainly have a challenge in our passenger car business for the next 12 to 18 months, and then there's a passenger car lifecycle that comes through.
"Then we will get back into the game with that new generation of cars.
"There is a range of cars that will become available to us from a passenger car perspective, and we are going through that process now to decide which ones can work for us."
Those options will include a new Pulsar hatch and sedan, as well as a next-gen Altima and possibly a replacement for the compact Micra hatch due in the next 18 months to two years.
On a more positive note, the brand has just released updated versions of the Pathfinder family SUV and Navara ute, while fresh versions of the X-Trail and Qashqai compact SUVs will arrive in the first half of the year.
10 Comments
ekim | 2017-03-24 03:11:27
Anyone can sell an SUV , someone buys them no matter how bad they are. These are the same people who use to buy Nissan cars. The people who buy cars now actually want a car over an SUV and therefore will be even more choosy. I am a car buyer and Nissan offers nothing I would consider buying, I would rather own a Toyota. Terrible styling, horrible transmission, dynamically loathsome why would you? Even their performance models don't appeal. The 370Z is dated and the GT-R, while technically brilliant, is expensive, unengagingly boring at or below legal speeds.
chris s | 2017-03-24 03:47:19
I don't know about Nissan, [have a mid size Kia sedan and love it] however this is a shrinking market despite there being lots of people like me who want a passenger car. Mitsubishi is killing off the Lancer, So who wants a stupid little buzz box that gets driven sideways in the wind on a freeway . Give me a mans car for the golf clubs and trips to the airport to pick up family or friends no hatch backs either thanks.
Boo | 2017-03-24 04:45:26
When the Altima first came out it was about $50,000 for the upper spec model. The same thing in USA market where it is popular was about $29,000. NO there is no relationship between the price of sedans and their increasing failure in the market is there. Buyers willingness to spend on the SUV though comes down to the need people have to belong and conform. Sedans don't have that influence anymore so their value (price) must fall
pwp | 2017-03-24 05:12:07
Something that is rarely mentioned in the SUV vs Sedan argument is ground clearance. Just about every modern sedan has the ground clearance of a race car. Either in the chase for optimum fuel economy or slavery to perceived cool looks . We have a Mazda 3 and a Mazda CX5. The Mazda 3 scrapes its front on most driveways and aggressive speed humps. There is no pretence that the CX 5 is an off-road vehicle. It's just plain practical. It's easy to get in and out of, easy to load the boot and untroubled by driveways, speedhumps and other lumpy items that are a hazard to the low slung brigade. It probably has the ground clearance of a mid-1960's Holden. Sedans would likely sell in greater numbers if they had more practical ground clearance.
DJM61 | 2017-03-24 06:25:41
Agree with pwp SUVs have better ground clearance. They are much easier to get into and out of. They seat more passengers in comfort. Some handle surprisingly well and with torquey engines and 6+ autos accelerate effortlessly. Some can go off road to as much as most need. Sedan started to fade when they chased superior aerodynamics (eg Audi 100) and favoured handling over ride quality. I still much prefer a boot to a hatch. Sedans need to embrace AWD to survive. I like the crumple zone provided by a bonnet. These will be optional in the future.
DeeJay | 2017-03-24 07:28:11
I'm fairly sure every Nissan salesperson at the start of their day looks at the showroom floor and thinks I've got no chance selling one of these ugly sedans today.
ygo | 2017-03-24 09:51:42
Just build a new Silvia already.
Mr Majestyk | 2017-03-24 11:32:54
deejay hit it on the head, their car line-up is simply appalling and symptomatic of a lot of the rubbish coming out of Japan. Wouldn't touch one with a 10' pole.
stroppy | 2017-03-24 12:38:25
First off, unless Nissan ditches its CVT transmissions I won't even bother going into one of their showrooms. Why CVTs have been foisted upon us by automakers is beyond me. They are meant to be more efficient but they seem to be beset with problems and have terrible lifespans. Nissan should do what Ford has done...quietly go back to using new-tech torque-converter automatics. I also agree with Boo who commented upon the high prices we pay in Australia for cars compared to the US. Honestly we have had successive federal governments with the backbone of an amoeba as regards consumer protection and battling the Australia tax. The blind eye they turn away from price gouging in Australia is just laughable! NISSAN: If you build an Altima with the 3.5L V6 and a nine speed torque converter auto and market it in the $32000 range you may well have a customer in me.
Mondo | 2017-03-25 03:38:36
1. If they're going to sell the Pulsar in Australia, give us the proper European market model. Don't just swap the badges on the Tiida and think that no one can tell the difference. 2. If they're going to resurrect the SSS variant of anything, let Renault (their parent company) take care of the suspension. They know exactly what they're doing.