NISSAN: Q2 volume advances 68%

Nissan Motor Co.'s recovery from last year's pandemic doldrums gathered momentum in the first half of the year, though supply chain issues threaten to tap the brakes in the second half.

The automaker's U.S. sales soared 68 percent to 298,148 in the second quarter.

The Nissan division sold 280,282 vehicles in the quarter, up 74 percent from a year earlier. Infiniti volume rose 11 percent to 17,866 vehicles.

Nissan sales and market share have risen every month since the start of the year — with retail deliveries accounting for a growing share of volume, Judy Wheeler, Nissan division vice president of sales and regional operations in the U.S., told Automotive News.

TrueCar estimates that Nissan's retail market share rose to 6.3 percent in the second quarter from 5.6 percent a year earlier.

The focus is on delivering product and features that customers demand, rather than chasing volume, Wheeler said. "Our strategy is working," she said.

The global chip shortage, however, could dampen the sales momentum.

AutoForecast Solutions estimates that in the first half of the year, Nissan Motor lost North American production of about 83,000 vehicles because of the chip shortage.

Nissan said it is extending its previously scheduled two-week U.S. summer shutdown, halting some production at its Canton, Miss., and Smyrna, Tenn., assembly plants this month.

New-vehicle availability will hit its lowest point this summer, Wheeler said. Nissan's average supply at the beginning of June was 43 days, according to Cox Automotive estimates.

"In September, we are expecting to be back to full production," Wheeler said. "I hope it sticks that way."

The chip shortage is complicating a product overhaul central to Nissan's efforts to revive consumer interest and profitability in the U.S., where plants are preparing to introduce key redesigned models: the Infiniti QX60 crossover and the Nissan Frontier midsize pickup.

Nissan is prioritizing new launches and high-volume models such as the Sentra sedan and Rogue and Kicks crossovers for the limited supply of microchips.

Brands: Nissan, up 74 percent in second quarter; Infiniti, up 11 percent

Notable nameplates: Nissan Frontier, up 78%; Sentra, up 104%; Altima, up 38%; Kicks, up 113%; Infiniti QX50, up 50%; Q50, up 15%

Incentives: $3,739 for the second quarter, down 22% from a year earlier, TrueCar says.

Average transaction price: $30,709 in the second quarter, up 6.7 percent from a year earlier, according to TrueCar.

Did you know? Rogue sales more than doubled in the second quarter from a year earlier. Nissan's bestselling model was redesigned last year.