Tag Archives: Sales

News

Nissan Targets 150,000 Annual NISMO Sales as Performance Strategy Accelerates

Nissan is sharpening its performance-focused identity, and it’s doing so with a familiar yet increasingly strategic playbook: motorsport credibility, emotionally charged road cars, and a growing reverence for its own history. Through Nissan Motor Co. and Nissan Motorsports & Customization (NMC), the brand has outlined a multi-pronged initiative designed to strengthen what it calls its “heartbeat models” — cars that exist not just to sell, but to define Nissan’s DNA.

At the core of this strategy is a renewed emphasis on performance as a brand language, one that flows seamlessly from racetrack to road.

From Track to Road — and Back Again

Nissan’s long-standing philosophy of “road to track, track to road” remains central. The company continues to use elite racing platforms such as Super GT and Formula E as rolling laboratories, extracting both technological know-how and intangible driving spirit to feed its production vehicles. It’s not just about lap times; it’s about translating racing intuition into sharper responses, smarter software, and more engaging cars.

Beyond its current commitments, Nissan plans to broaden its motorsport footprint, maintaining its presence in series like Super Taikyu while exploring new racing formats. From fiscal year 2026 onward, prototype race vehicles will play a bigger role, accelerating development in both hardware and software — advances that are expected to cascade directly into future NISMO road cars.

NISMO Goes Global — and Bigger

If motorsport is the proving ground, NISMO is the public face of Nissan’s performance ambitions. Building on recent success, Nissan plans to double its global NISMO lineup from five models to ten, while significantly expanding market availability. This isn’t a niche exercise anymore.

By 2028, Nissan aims to increase annual NISMO shipments from around 100,000 units to 150,000, with overseas markets accounting for as much as 60 percent of sales, up from roughly 40 percent today. To get there, Nissan is open to collaborations with external partners — a notable shift that suggests flexibility in how future NISMO products are conceived, engineered, and possibly even branded.

The goal is clear: more emotion at the wheel, delivered to a broader audience, without diluting the performance ethos that made NISMO matter in the first place.

Heritage as a Business — and a Statement

Perhaps the most telling move, however, is Nissan’s growing focus on heritage and restoration. With the global auto restoration market projected to more than double from roughly 500 billion yen today to over 1.2 trillion yen by 2032, NMC sees both commercial opportunity and cultural responsibility.

The initial focus will be on some of Nissan’s most revered icons: the Skyline GT-R R32, R33, and R34. Restoration, restomod programs, and genuine parts sales will form the backbone of this effort, with additional vehicles and regions to follow. It’s a calculated way of monetizing nostalgia while reinforcing Nissan’s performance legacy for new generations.

A Performance Mindset Beyond NISMO

“NISMO continues to elevate the excitement and innovation of Nissan vehicles,” said Yutaka Sanada, President and CEO of NMC. “Moving forward, we aim to infuse our passion and driven excitement into Nissan’s other product lines.”

That statement may be the most important takeaway. This isn’t just about faster cars or louder badges. It’s about repositioning Nissan as a brand that leads with feeling — supported by motorsport authenticity, expanded customization, and a deep respect for its past.

In an era where differentiation is increasingly difficult, Nissan is betting that emotion, when backed by engineering and heritage, can still be a powerful competitive advantage.

Source: Nissan

News

Citroën C3 Finds the Sweet Spot—and Europe Can’t Get Enough

It took patience, persistence, and a willingness to zig where others zag, but Citroën has finally pulled off something that once felt improbable. The humble C3—long a staple of Europe’s cutthroat B-segment—has become a bona fide hit, so much so that the French brand is now struggling to keep up with demand across the continent.

That’s no small feat in a market where margins are thin, competition is ruthless, and electrification has often meant higher prices and lower volumes. Yet Citroën, quietly but confidently, has turned that logic on its head.

A Decade of Reinvention Pays Off

Over the past ten years, Citroën has undergone a steady transformation. The brand doubled down on affordability, comfort, and simplicity, while also accelerating its push into electrification. The goal was ambitious: make zero-emissions mobility mainstream, not just for premium buyers or urban early adopters, but for everyday drivers shopping in the B-segment.

Against expectations, it worked.

In just eight months, Citroën sold more than 100,000 C3s across Europe. The reasons are refreshingly straightforward. The car offers real-world comfort, usable technology, and respectable efficiency—without demanding a premium price. In an era where “cheap” often feels synonymous with “compromised,” the C3 has managed to feel like a smart choice rather than a sacrifice.

The End of Discounts—and the Return of Profit

What makes this success more remarkable is the context behind it. Citroën once relied heavily on aggressive discounts to drive volume, a strategy that worked until Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares famously imposed a zero-discount policy. Sales dipped almost immediately, and Citroën was among the first brands to feel the sting.

Now, the narrative has flipped. The question is no longer whether sales will return, but whether they can do so without eroding profitability. The C3 answers that question clearly. It sells well, it sells fast, and—crucially—it makes money.

Affordable EVs Change the Game

Momentum has only increased with the arrival of the electric ë-C3. With the gasoline version priced around €15,000 and the electric model coming in below €20,000, Citroën has undercut much of the competition while expanding its audience dramatically.

Demand quickly overwhelmed the Trnava plant in Slovakia, which is now running at full capacity. Delivery times have stretched to around six months—not because of chip shortages or supply-chain chaos, but simply because too many people want the car.

Recognizing the opportunity, Stellantis moved quickly. Production has been expanded to Kragujevac, Serbia, adding capacity for 40,000 additional units per year and pushing total annual C3 output to roughly 300,000 vehicles. It’s a clear signal that the group intends to capitalize fully on the model’s runaway success.

Looking Ahead

New Citroën CEO Xavier Chardon has been careful to temper expectations. The brand, he notes, is still below its pre-pandemic peak, squeezed by increasingly aggressive rivals in the same price brackets. Even so, the trajectory is unmistakably positive.

Citroën is on track to close 2025 with a significant sales increase—up as much as 32 percent as of October—driven largely by two models: the C3 and the C3 Aircross. The hatchback is a hit, but its SUV sibling is an outright phenomenon, posting a staggering 519 percent sales increase.

In a market obsessed with crossovers, range anxiety, and rising prices, the Citroën C3’s success feels almost old-fashioned. Build a comfortable, honest car. Price it sensibly. Make an electric version people can actually afford. Europe has responded in kind—and now it’s willing to wait.

Source: Automotive News

News

Kia Hits One Million Sales in Australia, With the Tasman Pickup Leading the Charge

Kia has just crossed a major milestone Down Under: its one-millionth vehicle sold in Australia. The landmark model? A Tasman X-Pro Dual Cab pickup, handed over at Motorama Kia in Queensland—a fitting symbol of how far the brand has come since first touching Australian soil in 1988.

Back then, Kia’s lineup started with the boxy, off-road–leaning Rocsta. It was a niche beginning, and it took the automaker thirty years to clock 500,000 sales. But what followed was nothing short of a surge. In just seven more years, Kia doubled that figure, cementing its place as a serious contender in one of the world’s most competitive automotive markets.

“The Tasman’s strong reception shows the value of developing vehicles tailored to the needs of each region,” said Tae-Hun (Ted) Lee, Executive VP and Head of Kia’s Global Operations Division. And he’s not wrong. Australia is a country that loves its utes, and the Tasman—the brand’s first true pickup designed for rugged, everyday use—represents Kia’s recognition of that.

Damien Meredith, CEO of Kia Australia, called the achievement both a milestone and a launchpad: “Kia has thrived in a competitive and dynamic market, backed by products that have evolved to meet changing expectations and a brand that has earned the trust of Australian customers. With a fresh wave of innovative models on the horizon, today’s celebration marks an exciting starting point for our next chapter.”

Kia’s growth hasn’t just been about volume. In 2022, the brand topped the nationwide Dealer Satisfaction Survey, a nod to its customer-first approach. Last year, it sold more than 80,000 vehicles in a single year for the first time—a clear sign of momentum.

And the lineup speaks for itself: the Picanto, still a segment leader in the city-car category; the Carnival, Australia’s best-selling people mover; and now the Tasman, aimed squarely at one of the most fiercely loyal buyer bases in the country. Add to that Kia’s expanding electric portfolio, bolstered by its “Platform Beyond Vehicle” strategy, and the trajectory is obvious: this is a company looking to lock in long-term relevance.

One million sales may be a reason to celebrate, but for Kia, it’s also a reminder that Australia has become more than just another export market—it’s a proving ground. With the Tasman leading the latest charge and an electrified future looming, the brand’s next million might come even faster.

Source: Kia