Nissan sales show no improvement

The latest figures show that Nissan’s passenger car sales have nearly halved in Japan for the second month in a row as the car maker still struggles with a damaging inspection scandal. In November, sales of Nissan-brand passenger cars stood at 16 888, down 46.8% from a year earlier, Japan Automobile Dealers Association said. The drastic drop in Nissan cars compares with a more modest decline of only 5.5% per cent in overall sales in the Japanese market in November. Last month the carmaker announced that sales of new vehicles dropped by approximately 50 per cent compared to last year’s figures.  Nissan recalled around 1.2 million vehicles after the discovery of improper final inspection procedures at Nissan’s domestic plants.  The firm suspended all production destined for the local market following the scandal, but resumed production early last month. In November Nissan also downgraded its annual operating profit forecast, with its chief executive Hiroto Saikawa apologising for the scandal. In a gesture of remorse Saikawa has since offered to return part of his pay until next March.