Nissan was also able to hold on to its year-to-date market share, comparative with this time last year, recording 3.7% by the end of November 2012; this contributed to the 48,581 units sold during the month.

In the UK and Russia, where Nissan has a strong industrial footprint, year-to-date sales were up 15.7% and 5% respectively. The Central and Eastern European region also recorded growth compared to this time last year, despite on-going economic stagnation and restrained consumer spending in Europe.

Nissan's flagship models like the Juke and X-Trail SUV continued to perform well, selling 5.2% and 5.6% more cars respectively versus this time last year. Strong performance was also bolstered by an increase in year-to-date sales versus 2011 of the Nissan Qashqai in markets like Russia and the UK, with Nissan's NV200 and NV400 vans also posting 21.5% growth versus 2011 fiscal year-to-date numbers.

Nissan vice paresident for Sales Operations in Europe, Guillaume Cartier, said: ‘Continued growth of Nissan's crossover and 4×4 categories has given us a strong foothold in Europe. Success of models like the Nissan Juke and Qashqai underscores our investment in cars with bold design and innovative technology.

‘With the right innovations, the right products and the latest technologies, we're confident that our pipeline can deliver the growth and market confidence this industry really needs in these tough times. We're realistic about the challenges that lie ahead but confident in our ability to navigate the economic storm,’ he added.