Chevy Volt sales drop to 603, Nissan moves 676 Leafs in January

Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) maintained momentum from a strong 2011 finish with January sales of 79,313 units versus 71,847 units a year earlier, an increase of 10.4 percent. Nissan Division sales rose 12.5 percent for the month to 72,517 units. Sales of Infiniti vehicles decreased 8.2 percent from the prior year, 6,796 units.

NISSAN HIGHLIGHTS

Nissan Division delivered 72,517 units in January, an increase of 12.5 percent over the 64,442 units sold in January 2011.

Nissan set a new January record for Versa sales with 9,418 deliveries, up 8.5 percent over the prior year.

Sales of Nissan Altima, the industry’s second-best selling passenger car in 2011, increased 35.9 percent to 22,357 in January.

Nissan Rogue sales set a new January record at 9,904 units, up 5.1 percent.

Nissan’s truck lineup delivered a 21.6 percent gain over last January, led by Frontier (up 35.3 percent) and Pathfinder (up 30.6 percent).

Deliveries of the all-electric Nissan LEAF totaled 676 in January, marking 10,369 U.S. sales for the world’s best-selling electric car since its December 2010 launch.

INFINITI HIGHLIGHTS

Infiniti sales 6,796 units for January, a decrease of 8.2 percent versus 7,405 a year earlier.

Sales of the Infiniti QX luxury utility totaled 1,020, an increase of 30.4 percent over last year.

“Nissan carried momentum from a strong finish to 2011 into January,” said Al Castignetti, vice president and general manager, Nissan Division. “January’s performance, especially for key models like Altima, Versa, Rogue and Frontier, reinforces our optimism that 2012 is going to be an even better year than 2011 for Nissan.”

NOTE: To ensure consistency in global sales reporting, Nissan North America calculates monthly variances on a straight-percentage basis, unadjusted for the number of selling days. January 2012 had 24 selling days, as did January 2011.

About Nissan Americas

In the 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 was recognized as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency in 2010 and 2011. More information, including photos and video b-roll, on Nissan in North America, the Nissan LEAF and zero emissions can be found at www.nissanusa.com.

About Nissan

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan’s second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 248,000 employees globally, Nissan provided customers with more than 4.1 million vehicles in 2010, generating revenue of 8.77 trillion yen ($102.37 billion U.S.). With a strong commitment to developing exciting and innovative products for all, Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of 64 models 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 2011 World Car of the Year.

For more information on our products, services and commitment to Sustainable Mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.

GM’s U.S. Sales Down 6 percent in January
Chevrolet car sales up 13 percent on Strength of Cruze, Sonic
2012-02-01

DETROIT – General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) today reported total sales of 167,962 vehicles in the United States in January, down 6 percent compared with a very strong January 2011.

“Chevrolet drove our performance once again and sales of our fuel-efficient new cars were especially good,” and Don Johnson, vice president, U.S. Sales Operations. “The strength that the economy and the auto industry showed in the fourth quarter carried into January, so we believe the year is off to a good start.”

Chevrolet passenger car sales increased 13 percent. GM’s total passenger car sales increased 3 percent in January, led by a 30-percent increase in sales of fuel-efficient small and compact cars, which include the new Chevrolet Sonic, the consistently strong-selling Chevrolet Cruze and the new Buick Verano.

In addition, the Buick LaCrosse, which now offers the 36-mpg highway eAssist powertrain as standard equipment, posted a 6 percent year-over-year increase, and the Chevrolet Camaro was up 20 percent.

GM’s crossover sales decreased 18 percent and sales of trucks, which include full-size pickups, vans and SUVs, decreased 6 percent.

Retail deliveries declined 15 percent compared with the same month a year ago and accounted for 70 percent of GM sales.

“In 2012, we will strengthen our position with more new products, an even better dealership experience and reinforce the disciplined ‘go to market’ strategy that helped us grow profitably in the United States in 2011,” said Johnson.

GM has an aggressive new product plan for 2012: Production of the new 2013 Buick Verano is ramping up. In January, the company began production of the 37-mpg 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco, with four-cylinder and turbo powertrains launching in the summer, about the same time the new 2013 Chevrolet Spark arrives in showrooms.

In late spring, Cadillac will launch its new XTS large sedan and in late summer, its new ATS luxury sports sedan. Late in 2012, Buick will launch the new Encore crossover, which made its debut at the North American International Auto Show.

At the Chicago Auto Show, GMC will introduce a new Acadia, which will go into production in late 2012. Other new products will be announced at major U.S. auto shows and other events throughout the year.

General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world’s largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM’s brands include Chevrolet and Cadillac, as well as Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

In this press release and in related comments by our management, our use of the words “expect,” “anticipate,” “possible,” “potential,” “target,” “believe,” “commit,” “intend,” “continue,” “may,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “project,” “projected,” “positioned” or similar expressions is intended to identify forward-looking statements that represent our current judgment about possible future events. We believe these judgments are reasonable, but these statements are not guarantees of any events or financial results, and our actual results may differ materially due to a variety of important factors. Among other items, such factors might include: our ability to realize production efficiencies and to achieve reductions in costs as a result of our restructuring initiatives and labor modifications; our ability to maintain quality control over our vehicles and avoid material vehicle recalls; our ability to maintain adequate liquidity and financing sources and an appropriate level of debt, including as required to fund our planned significant investment in new technology; the ability of our suppliers to timely deliver parts, components and systems; our ability to realize successful vehicle applications of new technology; and our ability to continue to attract new customers, particularly for our new products. GM’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q provides information about these and other factors, which we may revise or supplement in future reports to the SEC.