Nissan Middle East has announced a 26.2 per cent rise in sales for the 2012 financial year (FY) ending March 31.

The result, which outperformed the overall market trend by 1.1 per cent, follows a year which saw the launch of five new models. Nissan Middle East achieved 14.4 per cent market share, up 0.1 per cent on FY 2011.

The performance has led Nissan to predict positive growth 2013 in the Middle East during which it is forecasting a minimum 11.1 per cent rise in sales against expected market growth of 5 per cent. By the close of FY2013, Nissan Middle East expects a market share across the region to be 15.2 per cent.

“Nissan’s strategy in the Middle East is based on the global strategy, Nissan Power 88, a wide-ranging six year business plan announced in FY2011 that will accelerate the company’s growth,” said Samir Cherfan, managing director Nissan Middle East.

“Based on Power 88, Nissan is aggressively renewing its product line-up in the region and heavily investing in powerful - sometimes record-breaking - brand initiatives. In financial year 2012, Nissan launched a new model almost every two months in the Middle East, all of which were enthusiastically welcomed by car buyers,” he added.

“These new models played their part in our strong performance this year but there were also powerful market forces driving growth. Most significant of those was the removal of the supply constraints experienced in FY2011, caused by natural disasters negatively impacting production of Japanese automotive manufacturers. Nissan recovered more rapidly than its competitors due to immediate implementation of counter measures but, inevitably, this did constrain supply to the market.

“In FY2012 these headwinds passed and, in combination with positive economic conditions across the Middle East, led to higher growth in the automotive market. While we forecast a continued expansion in FY2013, with total sales again rising, the rate will be linked to organic growth levels,” Cherfan added.

In the first 50 days of its availability, nearly 1,500 Sentras were sold, reinforcing Nissan’s position as segment leader. Nissan will now use the strong initial response from the region’s car buyers as a platform on which to build towards an ambitious target of 25,000 Sentra sales per year in the GCC region.

Nissan Sunny sales jumped a remarkable 50 per cent during the first three quarters compared with the same period in 2011 resulting in an impressive 18,000 units sold.

Nissan Patrol sold more than 14,000 units across the region with a market share of 22 per cent in the SUV segment.

"The desirability of Nissan cars has never been so high, and this is supported by our intensive network of presales and aftersales functions across the region, which heighten the quality of our customers' holistic experience,” said Cherfan.

“The Middle East represents a very important and strategic market for Nissan and we will continue our drive to exceed customer expectations. The positive figures of FY2012 also reflect the strong gains we have made in expanding consumer confidence in our brand.”

“FY2012 was a good year for Nissan Middle East - sales grew, market share was gained and brand power increased. We expect not just maintain, but to build on this momentum in FY2013, and outperform the growth of the Middle East’s automotive market,” Cherfan concluded. – TradeArabia News Service