Nissan NV200

Nissan’s vans were flying off the shelves in 2011…

As I wrote recently, 2011 was a strong year for van sales – but for Nissan more than most.

The Japanese manufacturer recorded an impressive 174% rise in LCV sales in the UK in 2011, selling 10,854 commercial vehicles and increasing its market share from 2.8% to 4.2%.

If you are thinking that these figures might be skewed by the inclusion of the Navara 4×4 pickup – they aren’t. Although the Navara recorded a 187% increase in sales, the thoroughly van-like Primastar recorded a 201% increase and Nissan’s new smaller van, the NV200, saw sales rise by 191%.

Nissan’s performance was strongest in the retail section, which includes small businesses. The Primarstar, which is a rebadged, Luton-built Vauxhall Vivaro/Renault Trafic guise – is a firm favourite with tradesmen and other small businesses and remains a class act despite its increasing age.

Commenting on Nissan’s prospects for 2012, Francis Bleasdale, Nissan Motor GB’s LCV sales and marketing director said:

“There are signs that fleets in particular are starting to replace their LCVs after extending replacement cycles during 2009 and 2010 which should help fuel sales. And our dealer network is also reporting a strong demand for used Nissan LCVs.”

Bleasdale also commented that Nissan’s new Renault Master-based NV400 was only launched at the end of 2011, saying that he expected “the full impact of this exciting addition to the range will be more evident during 2012.”

None of Nissan’s commercial vehicle range is built at its Sunderland plant, but several models are built in Europe and four out of five of Nissan’s commercial vehicle models are new or have been updated for 2012 – only the Primastar remains largely unchanged from previous years.

Nissan has started 2012 extremely well with 722 sales in January, equivalent to a 5.0 per cent market share, up from its 697 sales and 4.1 per cent market share in January 2011 – a contrast to the general downward trend seen this January.