Audi, Volkswagen AG's luxury brand, said it achieved all-time sales records in North America in 2003, but would release the full details of its sales figures later. The new Audi A8 attracted an unprecedented number of U.S. customers, up 170 percent when compared to last year and in December, Audi sold 700 A8s alone.
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| Three of the seven finalists for truck and car of the year were Nissan products. (Photo: Nissan Canada) |
Carlos Ghosn, Nissan president and CEO, raved how three of the seven finalists for truck and car of the year were Nissan products, while this year the new Titan full-size pickup was a finalist for the 2004 NAIAS truck of the year. Plus, Nissan's sales were up 5.9 percent for the year, even as total sales for the industry declined in all the major markets.
"Everything that we have been delivering has been designed to offer our customers distinctive design, superior performance, and undisputable value," Ghosn said. "Amid turbulent economic and marketing conditions, Nissan is staying the course. Making steady gains and maintaining value, step by step."
"With three months remaining in our fiscal year, we are projecting our fourth quarter to be up 10 percent from the prior year; increasing sales without significant incentives that would damage our profitability and, most importantly, our brand."
Return tomorrow for the second installment of this two part series, with more detail on the winners and losers of 2003 and what to expect in the auto industry for 2004.