Nissan India sales in 2017 have forced the manufacturer to slip below Mercedes-Benz in the annual sales ranking.
The previous year has been full of surprises for car manufacturers. Because of the after-effects of demonetisation, sales started on a low note and were further disturbed due to uncertainty surrounding the change in tax structure halfway through the year. While makers of mass market cars were partly immune because of their relatively affordable products, luxury car brands took a major brunt of the fluctuations. Most luxury brands have still registered positive growth but for some mass-market players, including Nissan India, sales have witnessed a fall.
In a dramatic turn of events, Nissan has been overtaken by Mercedes-Benz with the latter leading by over 2300 units in sales volume. The Japanese brand has been ahead of the German giant ever since it launched the Micra in 2010. At 22,449 units, Nissan’s sales in 2011 were over three times that of Mercedes-Benz. Over the years, an ageing product line without any worthwhile update made the brand witness a sharp decline since 2014. In 2017, Nissan recorded a 11% fall in sales volume with a total of 12,936 units being sold.
Also leading the list of luxury car makers in the country, Mercedes-Benz has sold 15,330 units in 2017 showing a rise of over 15% as compared to 2016. Thanks to timely product launches and a diverse product range, the brand has been able to grow at a remarkable rate over the past few years. What makes Nissan’s position worse is the price band its cars fall in. Apart from the legendary GT-R which is more of a halo product, Nissan’s portfolio in India comprises of the Micra, Sunny and Terrano which can be broadly grouped under the Rs. 15 lakhs bracket.
On the other hand, Mercedes-Benz cars are decidedly more expensive with the offerings starting from Rs. 27.28 lakhs (ex-showroom, Mumbai) for the entry-level A-Class and running into crores of rupees for the likes of G-Class, S-Class and AMG models. The product range itself is comparatively more comprehensive comprising of coupes, sedans, hatchbacks, SUVs, convertibles and a “sports tourer” as well. Even though sales reports of Nissan are self-explanatory of their market standing, customers expect them to attend to the ageing product line instead of resorting to petty trolling practices.
Nissan India Sales
– Nissan’s sales fall further in 2017, a total of 12,936 units sold
– Mercedes-Benz, selling over 15,000 units, overtakes Nissan in 2017 ranking
– Nissan’s ageing products and poor pricing strategy to blame
– Limited product range for the masses comprises of Micra, Sunny and Terrano
