2011 Nissan Leaf

2011 Hyundai Sonata

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 15, 2010—Though Nissan sales fell 17.8 percent in 2009, this was less than the industry’s overall 21.2 percent sales decline, said Nissan North America vice president and general manager Al Castignetti at today’s Nissan franchise meeting.

 

Nissan dealers seemed basically pleased with the company and some of its upcoming new models, including the 2011 Juke and 2011 Leaf. The much-anticipated Leaf, an electric vehicle, will roll out in about half of the United States this December, followed by a second rollout in the rest of the country in summer 2011. To sell the Leaf, dealers will have to meet certain training and certification requirements.
 
A new Nissan program to boost customer retention, launching in October 2010, will include dealer incentives for performance, Castignetti said. Another program that targets customer retention, called Express Service, has been installed in 133 Nissan and 38 Infiniti stores. An additional 124 installations are slated to come by this April.

 

Nissan executives said they were also working this year to keep dealers from receiving damaged parts. The company, they added, will align its battery warranty with the vehicle beginning in model year 2011.

 

Meanwhile, at the Hyundai franchise meeting, executives credited promotion of the 2011 Sonata with boosting Web traffic. Execs said that with this model, they have the makings of a “hot car.”

 

When asked by dealers if Hyundai would take advantage of Toyota’s recent brake pedal recall, execs called it a potential slippery slope. Increased federal scrutiny of Toyota models could lead to increased scrutiny of other manufacturers as well, they said.

 

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