Nissan Division continues to work out inventory problems that have bedeviled it since last summer, with June U.S. sales rising 2.5 percent to a record for the month.
Volume gains from some of Nissan's more profitable vehicles, such as the Armada, Maxima and Murano, drove the brand to a June sales tally of 134,398. The month also represented June sales records for Rogue, Murano and the NV200 commercial van, while delivering the biggest sales month in Armada's history.
Nissan Division is clearing out 2018 Altima inventories to make ready for a redesign that will reach showrooms this fall. In June, the nameplate's U.S. sales declined 2.9 percent to 26,956.
"We turned a corner in May and the momentum carried over into June," said Billy Hayes, Nissan Division vice president for regional operations. "We started the sell-down of the 2018 model Altima in May, and that's going strong. Our dealers are engaged and they know what the plan is, so we just keep rolling."
Brands: Nissan Division rose 2.5 percent to 134,398, Infiniti declined 13 percent to 10,698.
Notable nameplates: Armada sales rose 129% to 5,434 in June and Murano crossover deliveries increased 59% to 8,806. The brand's new subcompact crossover, the Kicks, went on sale in June and generated first 563 sales.
But demand for two of Nissan's key products fell in June. Sales of the new-generation Leaf, which reached the market early this year, fell 9.2 percent, and sales of the full-size Titan pickup declined 1.9 percent.
Infiniti's results were dominated by the ramp up of the new-generation QX50 crossover -- sales climbed 41 percent to 8,806 to set a June record. Sales of the QX60 rose less than 1 percent, while all other Infiniti nameplates declined for the month.
Incentives: $3,703 per vehicle in June, down 9.4 percent from a year ago, according to ALG's forecast for Nissan and Infiniti brands combined.
Average transaction price: $27,419, 0.4 percent higher than a year ago, ALG estimates.
Did you know? Nissan North America was widely expected to post a sales decline for June, with forecasters predicting a year-over-year decrease of 2 to 11 percent. However, the automaker not only increased sales by 1.2 percent for the month, it apparently did so using lower total incentives than a year ago.