New compact hatchback on way for Nissan

A new compact hatchback model should soon be driving Nissan to another year of record sales.

To be launched in summer, the Spanish-built C-segment five door car will play a key role in helping the Japanese firm find more favour with business motorists, believes Nissan GB managing director Jim Wright.

“We’re heading for our seventh year of record business and we have achieved enormous success we’ve had in growing our registrations from 70,000 in 2008 to more than 130,000 last year, I’m proud that we have been achieving volume growth even though products have been coming up for replacement, but I think we can still achieve more.

“Around half of our sales go to the fleet sector, but we should be winning more corporate registrations – this is an area where we’ve always had a below average performance,” he told Fleet News.

Speaking as the new Juke Nismo RS was being launched at Geneva, he said; “We do a lot of leasing business, but I see opportunities for us with corporate buyers.

“Our crossover cars perform well in every other channel and I believe our reduced cost of ownership offered by the latest versions of the Qashqai and Juke deserve to attract greater interest – both have best in class CO2 performance.

“The same rationale will apply to the our hatchback model – with highly efficient 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines, operating costs will be a significant factor in our favour when we return to this competitive sector.”