Japanese auto manufacturer Nissan recently broke its own record with extreme sales in Europe for the 2011 year. Sales were up 25 percent since the company's previous 2010 record and added up to 695,702 units! This number surpassed 2010 figures by 57,493 units.

Paul Wilcox, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marking for Nissan Europe explains the company's excellent sales, stating, "This performance is being driven by segment-defining models designed, engineered and built in Europe, for Europe. Overall, Nissan produces around 70% of vehicles sold within the region at plants in the UK, Spain and Russia, this ensures our line-up is attuned to European expectations in terms of style, quality, performance and reliability. This includes the 430,000 Qashqais and Jukes manufactured at our plant in Sunderland in 2011, cementing Nissan's position as the undisputed 'number one' crossover manufacturer - a market segment we pioneered and one we still lead today."¹

Wilcox then went on to describe the impact the all-electric Nissan LEAF is having on the market, saying, "We are also the leading Electric Vehicle manufacturer having launched the Nissan LEAF in a growing number of European countries throughout 2011.This revolutionary car is bringing more and more people to the Nissan brand. Firstly through its merits as a fantastic product, but also by demonstrating our willingness and enthusiasm to innovate to continually bring fresh ideas to the market."²

Nissan also found success in the North American market this year, where its influence continues to grow. We aren't surprised though. With vehicles like the LEAF and the other new 2012 Nissan vehicles, it's no wonder the company has achieved so much.

Source: ^1,2 http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/12/4182192/nissan-sets-all-time-record-european.html#storylink=cpy