Ghosn orders Nissan USA to double sales by 2017

Mon, 13 May 2013

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has just one teensy-weensy request for its United States arm: Double your sales by 2017.

"China was not our biggest, I would say, disappointment. It was mainly the United States. We were expecting a strong year in the United States. It didn't happen," Ghosn said, speaking at a conference after announcing Nissan's 2012 fiscal results, Automotive News reports. Because of this, Ghosn has ordered his US executives to iron out the problems that affected new vehicle launches and to strengthen the company's dealer network.

In 2012, Nissan's US sales rose to 1.1 million units – a five-percent increase, and a record, at that. But the company's overall market share fell from 8.2 percent to 7.7 percent, putting the company further away from its goal of having a 10-percent stake overall.

Automotive News reports that the plan to increase sales includes increasing the number of dealerships in the US, doubling per-store sales and boosting its marketing efforts in key demographic groups. All we can say is: Good luck.

By Steven J. Ewing