- The humble Nissan Versa is proving a hit with buyers, sales climbing 64 percent this year.
- SUV buyers are shunning the Rogue – which fell 64 percent – for its lack of hybrid options.
- Total Nissan sales rose fractionally (1.7 percent) Jan-Sept, the Z coupe also climbing 66 percent.
The U.S. car market has contracted in recent months, as a result of high prices, expensive car loans, and a shortage of consumer confidence in the economy. But Nissan’s simple, affordable Versa is bucking the trend. Sales of the automakers’ smallest sedan rose 64 percent between January and September, and 68 percent in Q3.
We recently reported on a study that most American drivers wanted to pay no more than $35,000 for a new car when the true average cost of a new vehicle in the US is $48,000 and there are almost none available for under $20k. The Versa, though, does fit the bill, the base car coming in at less than $18,500, meaning it practically chooses itself.
Related: 2025 Nissan Versa Sees $1k Price Hike, Still America’s Cheapest New Sedan
Buyers are choosing to stay away from Nissan’s Rogue, however. Sales of the compact SUV are down 10 percent year to date versus 2023 and dropped 24 percent in Q3. The Rogue looks good and has a smart interior but dealers say the lack of a hybrid powertrain option is killing customer interest when many rivals offer at least one electrified engine. Auto News reports that 29 percent of sales in that SUV segment now go to hybrids.
The sole Rogue engine in the US is a 201 hp (204 PS) turbocharged 1.5-liter triple, but the European version of the same SUV, the X-Trail, can be optioned with a dual-motor 1.5-liter e-Power hybrid drivetrain, in which the ICE system is only ever used to charge the battery and never drives the wheels.
Toyota’s Rogue rival, the RAV4, does offer hybrid power and its sales have increased by almost 16 percent year-to-date, underlining just how desperately the Rogue needs an electrified option.
Nissan sales
Two Nissans that do have electrified powertrains managed to improve their sales performance. The Leaf EV is up 31 percent YTD and an incredible 188 percent in Q3, while deliveries of the also-electric Ariya grew 54 percent and 23 percent in the same periods.
And there was good news for the Z sports car. Sales of the coupe climbed 109 percent to 718 units in Q3 and are 66 percent better YTD than in 2023.
