Nissan Expected to Improve on Previously Forecast Profits

Nissan and Infiniti Product Offensive Not Letting Up

It seems as though Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. has developed immunity towards the current automotive market recession. It is predicted that the Japanese automaker will post record profits of more than $6.8 billion for its economic year that ended on March 31, 2003.

Last fall it was predicted that there could potentially be a group operating profit of $6.6 billion and a group net profit of $4.5 billion; both record breaking amounts. The numbers have only gone up since.

Nihon Keizai Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper, said that the skyrocketing profits are largely due to the new product line introduced in the last 2 years. The top-selling Altima leads Nissans North American followed closely by newcomers like the Murano SUV, and the 350Z sports coupe.

In addition, Infiniti vehicles are selling like hotcakes. The most popular choices lie in the new G35 sedan and coupe, along with the new FX35 and FX45 SUV line. The midsize M45 luxury sedan is also new in the market, boosting Infinitis overall sales.

Whats more Nissan Motor Co. will continue its relentless product offensive with the Titan, a full-size V8 powered pickup truck coming in extended and crew cab configurations this fall, the Pathfinder Armada, a full-size SUV based on Titan architecture, and the 350Z roadster.

Soon after a full-size Infiniti luxury SUV based on the Armada platform will also become available. We can expect an updated Sentra shortly thereafter, with a next generation compact pickup and Xterra SUV to follow.