JANUARY UK SALES - NISSAN - fastest growing brand by market share, mmm, iffy !

• Fastest growing brand by market share compared with the same time last year
• Nissan car registrations reach over 11,000 for first month of the year – the best ever January in the company’s history
• UK-built stars – Qashqai, Juke, Note, and LEAF – reach highest ever January volume
• Company soars to fourth place in the UK’s top-selling brands
• January share of the passenger car market hits record high of 6.72%

Nissan Motor GB Limited has recorded its best ever start to a year with 11,076 cars sold in January – an increase of 25.9% or 2,277 registrations over the same period last year.

The company also stormed to its highest ever share of the January passenger car market at 6.72%, with the award-winning all-new Qashqai continuing its segment domination with over 4,500 sales.

Also at the heart of this sales success was Nissan’s other UK-built stars – the 100% electric LEAF, the Note, and the Juke – which all soared to their highest ever January registrations.

Nissan bolstered its position as the fastest growing brand in the UK with a total market share increase of 1%. This increased share of the car market puts the company at fourth position in the UK.

Helping to drive sales was Nissan’s diverse range of crossovers including the Qashqai, Juke and all-new X-TRAIL. Nissan continued to dominate this fast-growing category registering almost 8,000 units a 32% increase over the same period last year.

This powerful start to the year continues on from the company’s record-breaking 2014, during which 138,338 cars were sold – a 17% increase over 2013’s full year sales.

The all-electric Nissan e-NV200 today scooped its sixth prestigious industry award

The all-electric Nissan e-NV200 today scooped its sixth prestigious industry award in as many months, winning the Best Green Van honour at the Business Van of the Year awards in London.

The pioneering model triumphed at the independent awards after being put through its paces by an outside panel of expert judges, specialising in their own field and in the SME sector.

Their verdict supports that of the wider motoring media, which has bestowed a string of highly regarded awards on the van since its launch in the summer.

In December, the e-NV200 won What Van? magazine’s Green Award. It has also been named Industry Innovation of the Year by GreenFleet, LCV of the Year by Next Green Car and has helped Nissan to the ULEV Manufacturer of the Year title at the Energy Saving Trust's Fleet Hero awards and the Green Van Manufacturer of the Year title at the Fleet Van Awards.

Congratulating Nissan, Ralph Morton, Editorial Director at Business Van, said: “Going green has never been so easy. The electric e-NV200 is just like the standard NV200 except it costs just two pence per mile to run, has a range in excess of 100 miles, is emission free, and still manages to provide an uncompromising flat load-space floor that takes two Europallets and a 703kg payload.

“It’s a brilliant achievement and the van to change the perception of the electric van – it’s practical, green, cost effective all in one.”

Barry Beeston, Corporate Sales Director at Nissan Motor (GB), said: “The fleet and LCV media has been unanimous in its praise for the e-NV200 and the potential this incredible van has to help fleets simultaneously bring down costs and emissions.

“I would encourage fleet operators to try the vehicle for themselves to see just how easily and it could help them make a real impact on both their carbon footprint and their bottom line.”