Some Automakers Down Fifty Percent
Talk about bad timing. Despite being fashionable upon arrival, Nissan was far too late to the full-size SUV party with its Armada and
Infiniti-badged QX56 derivative. Even before any real momentum could be built, the bottom has been pulled out of the full-size sport utility segment, with even well-established regulars such as Ford's Expedition and GM's Tahoe/Yukon duo hard hit.
And to make matters worse, Japan's number-two automaker has increased exterior dimensions of two smaller 'utes, the Xterra and venerable Pathfinder, plus upped the displacement, power and unfortunately, real-world fuel consumption of the two vehicles' top-line engines.
Little wonder Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan Motor Co., and now also head of
Europe's Renault, is feeling a little blue about the state of the U.S. vehicle market on the whole.
"The first two weeks of October have been terrible for the industry," Ghosn told a group of reporters at the Tokyo Motor Show that took place in late October. "We have some car manufacturers down 50 percent."
No doubt Ghosn's bitter pill is easier to swallow than the fodder GM, Ford, Mitsubishi and some other carmakers are forced to chew on, being that Nissan's sales were only down 20 percent in the first two weeks of October compared to the entire market which was off by 33 percent.
"We're gaining market share," Ghosn added, "but in a decreasing market because demand is down."
Talk about bad timing. Despite being fashionable upon arrival, Nissan was far too late to the full-size SUV party with its Armada and
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| Despite being fashionable upon arrival, Nissan was far too late to the full-size SUV party with its Armada. (Photo: Shawn Pision, Canadian Auto Press) |
And to make matters worse, Japan's number-two automaker has increased exterior dimensions of two smaller 'utes, the Xterra and venerable Pathfinder, plus upped the displacement, power and unfortunately, real-world fuel consumption of the two vehicles' top-line engines.
Little wonder Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan Motor Co., and now also head of
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| Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan Motor Co., and now also head of Europe's Renault, shown here with the Nissan Tiida which will be available here as the Versa next year, is feeling a little blue about the state of the U.S. vehicle market on the whole. (Photo: Nissan Canada) |
"The first two weeks of October have been terrible for the industry," Ghosn told a group of reporters at the Tokyo Motor Show that took place in late October. "We have some car manufacturers down 50 percent."
No doubt Ghosn's bitter pill is easier to swallow than the fodder GM, Ford, Mitsubishi and some other carmakers are forced to chew on, being that Nissan's sales were only down 20 percent in the first two weeks of October compared to the entire market which was off by 33 percent.
"We're gaining market share," Ghosn added, "but in a decreasing market because demand is down."